Blessed Be: The Girl Next Door
by Queen Of Gabb 488
Summary: Sequel to Blessed Be, may be confusing if you don't read the first one. Life continues for the Halliwell clan as family members return home and secrets are revealed about the new generation. Crossover with Supernatural.
1. ch 1

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone, this is a sequel to my story Blessed Be. I don't own any of the original characters, but Brody, Phaedra, Pilar, Priti, Priya, New Prue, Gray, Brody and any new characters are creations of my own imagination. I hope you like this story, and I am still revealing pieces of info about what made Prue leave all those years ago. I'm not sure if that will be resolved in this story or the next, and italicized passages are memories of the past.

"_Brody," Prue called as she wheeled her suitcase to her terminal. Tonight was the night all her plans had culminated into action. The past week had opened a flood gate of memories and feelings that for once, Prue had no control over. The ever mindful, dutiful Prue had made a decision._

"_Brody," she called again to the boy she had refused to let go. He was only twenty feet away, and finally hearing her call, he turned to look at the girl who had broken his heart not once or twice, or any measurable amount. Every day she didn't trust him with her secret, his heart had a new rip or tear from the suffocating love Brody felt for his girl next door. _

"_Prue," the young man said with a raspy, low voice. "What are you doing here?"_

"Prue? Prue! What are you doing here," Christopher Perry Halliwell asked his cousin.

Since his little sister Melinda had moved out of the manor in only two days after moving in, Chris had spent the past month restoring the ancestral living place for whoever might occupy it next. There was fresh paint on all the walls, new stain on the molding and doors and Chris was officially done with all the big repairs. All that was left to do was to change some of the electric outlet covers. He had been in the middle of doing that when he heard someone come in, and looked up to see his little cousin there.

"I'm so sorry, Chris. I just blanked out for a moment. I'm not use to seeing the manor in such great shape. It's really beautiful; you've done a marvelous job."

"Thanks," Chris said as he wiped his hands off and moved to sit on the sofa. "So, what brings you by?"

"I came over to see if you would mind letting me use the manor to throw Porter's bridal shower," Prue explained. "The hall called me up and cancelled the contract I had with them because a water main burst and they won't be able to repair it by this weekend," she said, ending with a sigh. "This was the only place I could really think of and I think it would be really great to have Porter's shower here. She always said she wanted to get married in this house."

"You don't have to ask me, Prue. This is as much your home as it is mine. Of course you can use it for the shower."

"Thank you so much," she said and leaned down to hug Chris. "How's Gabby doing?"

"Ah, she's fine. A little slow moving around but surgery will do that to anyone." He chortled, "Who would've thought she'd need her tonsils out at 50 years old?"

"Well, I'll bet she's just glad to have that done and over with. How are the kids?"

"Ah, well. Victor is graduating a semester earlier than planned and is taking a study abroad program with the history department to the British Isles to study our Wiccan heritage. Brianna has decided to go to grad school in Boston and Helena is, well, she's being Helena and traveling god knows where for god knows what. That girl of mine is a hell raiser."

"I can see where she gets it from," Prue joked with her cousin. "I do seem to remember growing up on the stories of a certain witch and whitelighter hybrid that traveled back in time to save the future of the entire world and his family."

"Uh," Chris began to groan. "Technically, that wasn't even me. It was alternate time line that hasn't happened for me. I don't even get to remember that other life."

Chris would forever remain bashful and modest in regard to his past life. While he knew he was an extremely powerful witch and was one to be reckoned with, growing up in the shadow of a legend who would never get the chance to be was something that Chris had long ago decided was not a reflection of who he was. Growing up, he had been a bit of a hell raiser; doing what he did best, hunting down the things that go bump in the night.

Having walked to the beat of his own drum, rather than what he felt was expected of him to be the family savior, Chris had spent his teen years in search of who he was in this timeline. He was the only one in the family who didn't see that his search for his self-identity had revealed what everyone else had expected. While he may be leading a different life now, and many of the key events of his past life had not happened and hadn't affected the Chris that the family respected, inside he was still the same Chris that the aunts had known all those years ago. He was just a lot more relaxed and less insecure about where he stood in relation to Wyatt.

Prue was always surprised that her favorite cousin and protector had it in him to be bashful. She was used to him being down right cocky and militant in his Wiccan duties.

As she stood to leave, she gave Chris a kiss on the cheek. "I do remember a few times when you astral projected at night to all those crazy parties your mom forbade you to attend. Give the girl a break. Helena will come around."

"I hope you're right. It's just weird that I have a 26 year old daughter who has no idea what she wants from life, or the fact that my children have yet to form their own power of three."

"They're just late bloomers. Eventually Helena will come home, and Brianna and Vick will be there to help her. She just needs to get all her geese in a row. When she's ready, she'll come home."

"I'm just afraid that they won't ever have the type of bond that I had with Wyatt and Mel."

"Chris, how can she be expected to form that kind of bond to her siblings if she can't even form an attachment to her own identity? I have a feeling that everything will fall into place. You just need to be patient."

Chris stood and walked Prue to the door. "I hope you're right."

"I am. Don't worry so much. You'll get old."

"Thanks," Chris said, bowing his head and crossing his arms. "That just makes me feel warm inside."

"Well, I just don't want to see Gabby leave you for a younger man. I mean, she still looks like she's thirty-five," Prue laughed as her cousin's face became stony.

"Y'know what? Get out of my house," Chris said feigning hurt and anger. "I don't think I want you having your shower here."

"Too late, you already said I could. Don't make me sick Mel on ya!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get going already. I'll drag out all the tables for the shower for you if you'll just stop distracting me already."

Prue held her hands up, offering up a fake peace offering. "Alright, I've got to get back to the gallery anyway to pick up Pearl."

As she walked through the threshold, she turned her head to look about halfway down Prescott street to see the house that she shared with Brody.

_She looked at his house again. No, it was their house now. Prue looked at the ring on her finger. Just then, she felt Brody's arms wrap around her waist and his lips press against her cheeks._

_"You're not the girl next door anymore, are you?"_

_"No, I guess I'm not," Prue said before she was scooped up into Brody's arms and she began to giggle as he carried her over the threshold. _

_"How does it feel to be home," Brody asked his wife. His parents had recently moved to the East Coast and had left Brody the house that he had grown up in._

_"It feels right." Prue turned around in Brody's embrace and kissed him. "I've always known where I belong. With you," she said as she looked up into his eyes. _


	2. ch 2

Prue walked into the gallery that her daughter owned and managed. Pier was only twenty-four years old, but from the instant she was born had been determined, and strong willed. She was a woman who knew what she wanted, when she wanted it and how she wanted it. From the time Pier was three she knew what she wanted from life and she set out to get it. She was in every way, shape and form her mother's daughter.

At 5'4'' she was taller than her mother and sisters by a good two inches, and had stunning wavy black hair that cascaded down her back to her waist. Pier was the definition of beauty itself and with her milky white complexion and cobalt blue eyes could make any man worship at her feet. Prue's mother, Phoebe, had claimed that their looks were a throwback from their late aunt Prue.

In fact, Phoebe's eldest daughter and granddaughter had inherited many features from her dear sister including their artistic creativity. Aunt Prue was also a photographer like her namesake, and had worked as a curator for a museum and later at an auction house. But while Prudence Hart Halliwell was a photographer just like her aunt, Pier loved to paint like her aunt Paige. Pier had known, since the age of three that she would someday own a gallery and trade in art collections ever since she had attended one of her mother's shows, of which there had been many.

Prue heard the giggling of her first grandchild and made her way to the office her daughter had converted into a nursery so that she could bring Pearl to work. As she entered the door, she saw Pier kneeling down over Pearl, who was lying on a silk lined blanket that Phoebe had made during one of her rare craft moods. It was a square of white silk material in the middle that had a country rose pattern on it, that was lined around the edges with an orange cream silk lining, with the letter P caddy cornered in one of the edges. Then, she saw her granddaughters array of toys begin to float in the air.

"Hey, I thought you weren't going to use magic to soothe her," Prue exclaimed.

Pier glanced over her shoulder and said, "Who says I'm the one doing it?"

Prue raised her eyebrows in surprise. "My grandbaby has telekinesis?"

"Yep! I was hoping for something a bit milder, like premonition so that I wouldn't have to worry about exposure, but she's only used her powers in front of me so I think we're off to the right start."

"She's only four months old," Prue said. "You were six months old before you ever showed signs of freezing time."

"Well, you're always saying how each generation is stronger than the last. She may not be as strong as any of Wyatt's, Chris's or Mel's kids and grandkids but she's almost there. It's weird to think that she'll be stronger than you or me someday."

"It's so amazing to see our family grow," Prue said. "There was a time I never thought I'd see it happen."

"_**We inherited them from Mom and Grams," Prue heard her past life saying.**_

"_**So when you have kids…" the man she assumed was Andy responded. There was a familiar gleam in his eyes. Prue knew she recognized those eyes staring back at her but she couldn't place them.**_

"_**If they're girls…yes."**_

* * *

"_**Andy, no. If I come inside we'll have drinks, there'll be small talk and precious minutes will pass. I need to know now. Can you or can you not accept that I'm a witch?"**_

"_**If I have to answer right now... I don't think so, Prue. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it I guess. It's just not a future I envision having."**_

* * *

"_**Andy, I don't want anything bad to happen to you. You know how much I still love you."**_

** "**_**No, I didn't."**_

* * *

"_**That's right, Phoebe. It's my responsibility, isn't it? The oldest sister, always supposed to be able to figure things out. Well, if that's the case, then how come I couldn't save Andy? If I'm supposed to be so powerful, how come I couldn't save him? I mean, my god, don't you understand? Andy died because of me, it doesn't matter what he said, it was my fault. How could it be good to be witches if all it does is get the people we love killed?"**_

* * *

"_**Phoebe, where are you?" Her other incarnation asked. She felt her rise from the ground and push the innocent out of the way shortly before being blasted through the conservatory wall.**_

"_Prue," Paige said when she noticed her niece begin to wake up. "What did you find out about your past life?"_

_Prue looked from Mel to her aunt Paige. "I'm Prue."_

"_Of course you are," Melinda said unsure of what her cousin meant.  
_

"_No, Mel you don't understand. My past life was aunt Prue."_

_The three Halliwell women looked from one to another._

* * *

"What do you mean, mom," asked Pier. She had notice her mom withdraw from the conversation. It almost resembled a premonition, which Pier hadn't seen her mother have ever since Prue had reached Seer level almost fifteen years ago.

"Nothing, honey. I was just remembering a time when your father had broken up with me."

"Oh, you mean when grandma wanted you to stay home for college."

"Yeah. Anyway, I need to get going if I'm going to pick everything up for Porter's bridal shower. So give me Pearl, and I should have her back in time for the family dinner."

"Thanks, mom."

Prue looked at her daughter with pride. She had been the dream, the goal that had forced her to live for herself first. All those years ago, maybe as selfish as Patty and Penny had once accused her of, Prue had known that the prize at the end of the road would be the family she would finally get to have one day with Brody.


	3. ch 3

Chapter three

Saturday came all too fast and Prue's alarm clock woke her up at six a.m. in the morning. She got up running; making sure that she had all the favors in her car. Again, she questioned why she hadn't just left them over at the manor last evening when she, Patty, Penny and Melinda had set up all of the tables and left the food for the shower in the industrial sized refrigerator.

Prue and made her way to the manor to help Melinda who would be catering the bridal shower as well as to put the finishing touches on the center pieces. It was her second experience as mother of the bride, but she would always try to make each of her daughter's weddings as perfect as possible. She never wanted any of her daughters to feel as though she favored one over the others.

Prue had grown up with so many expectations and the knowledge that while she wasn't favored over her sisters, her mother had demanded so much more of her. Excel at magic, excel at academics, excel at athletics, sacrifice her own needs and wants to make sure that Patty and Penny could have theirs. What had hurt the most was the knowledge that Patty and Penny hadn't needed Prue to make those sacrifices, yet Prue had been forced too. It may not seem huge to have to miss a sleep over to stay home for a family night, or to have to miss a dance in order to help baby sit her younger sisters Halloween party, but it was every sleepover and every dance.

Even her career had been on the chopping block. Prue still felt bitter about her childhood and adolescence. Part of her would always resent her mother, no matter how much she loved her. Yes, Prue had wanted to make Phoebe proud. But the one thing Prue had realized after a talk with her aunt Paige, was that Phoebe and Coop were the parents. Not Prue. Why hadn't it been their responsibility to watch over the girls?

When Prue had become a parent the second time, she made a promise to all of her daughters and to herself that Porter and Pier and later Priti, would be allowed the freedom to choose for themselves. Make the sacrifices that they deemed necessary, and put their lives first before magic. Now Porter was getting married to a wonderful man, and Pier and Priti would stand up beside her as they were meant to. Prue was so proud of the women her daughters had become.

_The pitter patter of little feet could be heard on the hard wood floors. Porter had just turned two, and Pier had given her an old doll for her birthday. "Give it back!" _

"_No, it's mine. You stole it," Pier said. She had only meant for the doll to be a loan since her younger sister always wanted to play with it. Well, her birthday was over and Porter wouldn't give the doll back so Pier had taken it when Porter wasn't looking. _

"_Uh-uh, you gave it to me!" Prue heard Porter say from the next room. Porter had always been the quiet type, the one who dreamt that someday she would meet prince charming like in Cinderella which was her favorite movie. To hear her be so determined was a first for Prue. _

_Just as Prue walked in the room to tell her daughters to share or she would take the doll away, she saw Porter rip the doll from Pier using her telekinesis. _

"_Porter," Prue yelled. "What do we say about magic?"_

"_Uh oh," she whimpered and her mouth came together in a pout. Prue could she her eyes begin to well. _

"_Honey, don't cry," she said to her daughter as she knelt to become eye level with her. "You know we don't use magic to take things from others. Now, Pier is right. She only gave you the doll for yesterday. So why don't you give it back, and later we can go pick out your very own doll, okay?"_

"_Okay, mama."_

"_Good girl," Prue said as she took her daughter into her embrace. _

God, her little girls were all grown up. Where had the time gone?

"You okay there, Prue?"

"Yeah, Mel. I was just remembering when Porter was little."

"She's an amazing woman, Prue. She reminds me of my mother."

"They were both marvelous."

Prue stood looking at the center pieces. They were photos of Porter from birth up until her engagement. All were candid and all portrayed Porter better than any words ever could; glowing, radiant, bubbly, regal, friendly. They were framed in a variety of different styles, each meant to help portray what Prue saw in each of the photos. Her princess.

A few hours later the bridal shower was just beginning and cousins began to show up at the house. Prue's sisters and their children were there, as well as Priti and Pier, Brianna and Payton. Pandora and Priscilla, Paige's twin daughters, had come along with their daughter's and Henry Junior's. There were seventy some odd people at the manor, including Kiernan's mother and sisters. The house was adorned with white roses and Porter was absolutely stunning in an ivory colored sundress. Everyone was mingling and the party was getting in the swing of things when there was a knock on the door.

Brianna stood and pulled at her pencil skirt to rid it of any wrinkles. "I'll answer it, aunt Prue. Why don't you sit and relax," she advised her cousin once removed. The third generation of charmed ones had grown up calling their cousins aunts and uncles, as they were all as close as brothers and sisters to their parents.

She made her way to the door and gasped.

A 5'6'' goddess with red flowing curls and green eyes stepped over the threshold. "Hello, Brianna."

"Helena?"


	4. ch 4

A/N: so, I don't know if anyone actually reads my stories, which is fine 'cause I'd write them anyway. But if you are reading this I'm sorry it always takes me so long to update.

Chapter Four

"Helena," Brianna said in shock and surprise. "What are you doing here," she asked her older sister when she was able to gain her composure. As long as she could remember, Brie had looked up to her sister as though she were some queen of a fairytale realm. Tall, poised, and the picture of perfection, Helena had always been Brie's remodel when they were young. The perfect grades, the perfect clothes until Helena started high school, and though she maintained the perfect grades her behavior was less than stellar. That's when the two girls had started to drift apart. To the point where Helena was running all over creation and Brianna had stepped back from their family legacy.

Helena brushed past her little sister into the foyer. News of the bridal shower had reached her via her little brother Victor and her cousin Johnny, the only two family members she managed to keep in touch with regularly. She glanced back at Brianna, who looked stunning with her chocolate brown hair layered down past her shoulders, wearing a black satin top and pencil skirt. _God_, she thought_, how much have I missed? _"Well, I was traveling in Africa and came across a tribal community where I heard gossip about another Charmed one merging with a prominent family from the magical world. I got in contact with Johnny two or three days ago and here I am."

"Really," Brianna said returning to her usual snooty tone. "Amazing how word travels that far," she went on in a disbelieving manner. She didn't believe in coincidences. No one in their family did. Just as she was about to question her sister's experiences in her travels, Gabby wandered over.

"_Baby_," Gabby exclaimed. "What are you doing here," she asked as she rushed to tug her eldest daughter into her arms. "You have no idea how good it is to see you!" Gabby stepped back from the embrace, still holding onto Helena and giving her a good look over from head to toe. "You're too skinny, let's get some meat on those bones. Brie, close the door please," Gabby requested from her middle child as she walked away joyously with an arm around Helena.

Brianna stood there, flabbergasted. She rolled her eyes and pointed her finger at the door and walked away as it shut with a thump.

* * *

Brianna's stilettos clicked across the hard wood flooring of the foyer as she returned to the bridal shower, where the bride and family were gushing over the return of the prodigal daughter. As a waiter passed with a tray of champagne flutes Brianne grabbed one and downed it before returning to her seat.

Helena was laughing and joking with her cousins and aunts and glanced sideways to get a look at her younger sister. _She's still furious,_ she thought. _So she'd rather have a reunion filled with boring chit chat and meaningless small talk. How long is this going to last?_ When she tuned back into the conversation at hand, her family was asking about how long she intended to stay and if she would be staying with Christopher and Gabby.

"Um, no actually. I was thinking about finding my own place since I'm thinking about staying for awhile." Helena's voice dropped down suddenly as she watched Brie head into the kitchen. Apparently her little sister wasn't interested and went in search for something more amusing to keep her entertained. _That's it,_ she thought. _I'm getting this over with!_

"Excuse me for one moment. I'll be right back," Helena said as she put down her champagne flute and went in search for her sister.

Helena walked away from the party where laughter and merriment was being shared. Passing through the kitchen, she made her way through the laundry room towards the backyard where her sister was sitting in the gazebo her father had added a few years ago. "This was always your favorite place to go whenever you didn't want to deal with me."

Brie turned her head to glance at her sister. Turning back she shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, well it's a good place to sit and stare at the stars."

It was the first time Helena had seen her sister free of all the barriers she usually erected. "They're so beautiful," Helena contributed. "They make me feel so free."

Brie chuckled. "Like you need something to make you feel free. You traipse around the world, forgetting about every one that you left behind in order to do whatever it is you do; only to come home once every two or three years or when you need someone to clean up your mess. You never think about anyone else while you're out there living this wonderful, exciting life until trouble finds you and somehow it always does. Then you drag whatever trouble you're in to our doorstep and we clean it up."

Helena looked shocked at her sister's total honesty. "You don't know anything about me. About why I do what I do. Why I couldn't stay here and be some little Pollyanna like you did. So what, I left home. Guess what, people grow up and leave the nest and find what's right for them." Rage was burning in her eyes as she stared down her sister, whose face was still blank and unforgiving. "What did I ever do to you that made you so angry with me?"

Without moving from her place on the bench, Brie turned to her sister with tears glistening in her eyes and equal parts hurt and anger gracing her face. "You left me alone here. You turned your back on me and left me alone here."

Brie ran back into the house, leaving Helena alone to cry out in the gazebo.

* * *

The floorboard creaked underneath Brie's shoes as she entered the house.

_The floorboard creaked underneath Helena's feet as she crawled through her window. She had just managed to get in without being heard when her lights turned on and she tripped over someone's feet. Looking up from her place on the floor, Helena saw her mother sitting in a rocking chair. "Uh,oh."_

"_Uh oh is right. You are so lucky that you're father doesn't know about this young lady. You are seventeen years old and come stumbling home at three o'clock in the morning intoxicated!"_

"_Mom, I can explain…"_

"_No," Gabby said. "I've had enough of your explanations. For the past two years you have been reckless and irresponsible and , and I am done worrying about whether you are going to come home dead one day," she screamed. "I was always terrified that one day one of you kids would be caught in the cross fire of a vanquish but you are going out and looking for trouble!" Tears rolled down Gabby's face. "I don't know what to do with you. I don't even know if you'll be alive long enough to go to college in the fall!"_

_Helena sat up and tried to keep herself from crying. "Mom, I'm sorry. I'll do better," Helena exclaimed. "I'll stop, and I'll go to college…"_

_Gabby cut her eldest daughter off. "How? I don't understand this behavior, how did I raise you to think this was acceptable? You sneak off every night and half the time I can't even find you with scrying! How do you expect to make it through school?"_

"_You didn't raise a bad daughter," Helena spoke stubbornly. "I am not a bad daughter. I'll change. I'm good. I'll do good things."_

Brianna continued until she made her way back to the bridal shower. She only had to be here for an hour before she could leave without seeming rude. She just wasn't in the mood to hang around a family that put up with her because of common blood. As she took a seat, her mother asked her where her sister was. "Back yard."

"What's wrong with you?" Gabby knew about the tension between her two daughters but didn't know what she could do. All she could do, she figured, was leave it to them to find some common ground.

"Nothing," Brie said in a tone that indicated the complete opposite.

An hour had passed and Brie was getting ready to leave. She had squeezed in between various guests and made her way to her cousin. "Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. I have to leave early but I can't wait to see you at the wedding." With that, Brie leaned in and gave her cousin a kiss on the cheek and was about to leave when a warlock blinked in behind her and stabbed her with an athame.

Brie crashed down to the ground as shower guests ran to her. Helena held the bleeding Brianna in her arms. "Victor!" Helena stared up at the ceiling as guests began shouting orders. "Victor," she screamed. The tears began to fall down her face as she realized that all of the whitelighters present were being attacked by darklighters who had recently appeared.


	5. ch 5

Authors Note: okay, so I haven't updated this in months but I got sucked into school and work. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the story until I finish it. I'm still telling Prue's story, but I feel like I'll be finishing that up and go into Payton's and Helena's histories. Again, I don't focus on action much of the time because I prefer to focus on family dynamics. Also, I describe one of Wyatt's powers as advanced projectile molecular combustion. It's akin to pipers blowing up power but radiates from Wyatt's hands like a wave of energy much like Prue's advanced telekinesis seen in season two when the sisters went to the future to save Phoebe from being burned at the stake. The lines in between paragraphs separate periods of time, often when flashbacks are used.

Chapter five

Helena clutched her sister's body as she realized the entire bridal shower was under attack from darklighters. Her cries hadn't gone unnoticed, and within seconds her father, Uncle Wyatt and Uncle Henry were there fighting off darklighters. Focusing on Brianna, Helena was careful not to touch the poisonous arrow. Concentrating, she used her telekinesis to rip the arrow out of her sister's body and heard Brie cry out in pain. She had already begun to sweat and her body was being taken over by a ravaging fever as the venom made its way through out her body.

Her uncle Wyatt had successfully vanquished the darklighters within the first moment of his arrival using his advanced projectile molecular combustion, which radiated from his hands to kill those threatening the party. Wyatt, Chris and Henry worked to heal as many of the injured as possible as more Halliwells came to aid. Victor, Andrew and Johnny had orbed in after hearing the cries of multiple family members. Shocked to see such a brutal war zone like scene, they began to heal their aunts and cousins as they moved through the rubble left behind from the attack.

Railing from the staircase was dislodged and Payton Halliwell lied at the base of the stairs with an arrow in her leg. Pilar had gathered her younger sisters and had successfully warded off attacks by using a power of three spell to create a force field around them. In the living room Porter, Pier and Priti laid on the ground on top of pieces of broken furniture after a blast had thrown them into the mantle above the fireplace, causing them to bounce onto the couches and coffee table. Prue, Patty and Penny were badly injured and were trying to find their children. It was a massacre.

Helena willed herself to heal her sister, the one she had failed within the last eight years of their lives. Her hands shook, and her healing power wasn't working. She began to sob as her father made his way over to them, by the foyer table. "Why isn't she healing," a distraught Christopher asked out loud. His tone was harsh and demanding as he too laid his hands over his middle child. Brianna was now gasping for air, the poison was making it too hard for her lungs to get oxygen and she was starting to convulse.

Helena's and Chris's hands began to glow faintly and the breath Helena had been holding finally forced its way out. All throughout the manner, clangs and groans could be heard as family members were healed and rose from their injuries. Brianna was healing so slowly, Chris was afraid that it wouldn't work. Wyatt laid a hand on his brother's shoulders and he too went to work to heal his niece. After a moment, Brianna's eyes opened and there was a unified release of breath as everyone felt relieved that there were no casualties.

"Well, now that everyone's okay, what the hell went on here," Wyatt asked.

* * *

The afternoon had given way into night and the Halliwells had spent those hours determining why they had been attacked and who had been responsible for the unity between the dozens of darklighters who had crashed Porter's bridal shower. Fairly quickly they had scried for the attackers and descended on their lair.

Since the final battle with the ultimate power, demons had been fighting for survival and power. The original charmed ones had taken advantage of the destruction of the triad to wage war on evil, tipping the scale in the favor of good. Over the years the twice blessed generation had kept guard and religiously went on missions to obliterate whatever evil they could. It had thrown the entire family off that evil had been able to come together in such a large group to attack when evil had been fighting evil to survive for the past five decades.

The twenty some odd members of the family that were over eighteen had gone to the underworld and decimated the remaining darklighters who had attacked. Once they returned to the manner, they continued to make plans to vigilantly keep watch over activity in the underworld. Especially with Porter's wedding being so close.

As family members left the bridal shower, Helena made her way out to the backyard. As she walked out the door, Helena saw her sister in the gazebo again. Slowly, she made her way over to her younger sister and sat across from her, sitting on her hands as she leaned forward.

"That was close."

Brie turned her head away from the stars to look at her sister. "Yeah, it was." Brianna giggled. "Just another reminder of why I hate magic." Her head turned down towards her chest and she pulled her blanket up higher to keep warm.

"Magic isn't so bad. It's allowed us to keep ourselves safe as well as eliminate the threats against us. Besides, if you just let go you could really have some fun with it."

"Oh, yeah?" Brianna smiled awkwardly through her first civil conversation with her older sister. "How do we have fun with magic, without personal gain bighting us on the ass?"

"Well, we can orb to Paris and spend the day looking through boutiques. Go see Rome and Florence and hit on cute Italian boys. We are whitelighters, so we don't have to worry about language barriers. No spells involved either, so really there isn't much personal gain."

"I never thought of it like that. It would be nice to do some traveling and take a day or two off from school. I'd want to go with friends, though. What fun is traveling by yourself?"

"Well, maybe tomorrow if you're not doing anything we could go to Paris and hang out. I've spent so much time traveling with different tribes I haven't really done any girl stuff lately."

Helena was reaching. She was trying to at least be friends with Brie if she couldn't start out as her sister. Maybe this was the track to finally making some progress with her sister.

"That sounds like fun. I could use some time off to recuperate and maybe we could convince Payton to come along."

"That sounds great. We can leave for brunch."

_And maybe I can start to fix what went wrong eight years ago, _Helena thought.

* * *

Payton, Helena and Brie walked through a park somewhere in the French country side. They had already been to several museums and boutiques and had their belongings orbed back to the manner for a later pickup. The three girls had grown up very close and the past eight years had separated them greatly. Much of the day had been spent catching up on jobs and family happenings. As they prepared a picnic area, Helena debated her next move. Things were going smoothly for once and she knew that the information she was about to share would cause everyone's emotions to flare.

"So, I've been having some issues with my powers lately," Payton began. She pushed a hand through her long, voluminous blond hair and her blue eyes were worried. "You know, I'm supposed to be the most powerful witch ever born and I can't even control my powers. I just keep thinking, 'All powerful? Yeah, right. You're some frumpy little school teacher who can't even hold onto a man'. Yesterday during the attack I was caught off guard. That darklighter threw my across the stairs like I was a ragdoll. My dad had to heal me."

"I thought you self healed, though," Brie said. "I'm surprised your shield didn't come up. And what's with this defeatist attitude. 'I can't even hold a man'. When was the last time you went out with a man?"

"Two months ago." Payton looked up at her cousins who looked shocked to learn that Payton had been seeing someone. "We had been seeing each other for a few months. I met him five months ago at a bar when I went out with some of the other teachers from my school. He was so handsome and he had this half smile that was so arrogant but I loved it. He had the waiter send me a drink and I ended up going home with him that night."

"Oh, my God. What was his name," Brie asked.

"Why did you stop seeing him," chimed Helena.

"He works for the company that tried to steal Uncle Gray away from Uncle Chris's business. I didn't know how things would turn out so I didn't tell the family about him. His name is Dean. But, after a few months of meeting in secret and not knowing much about each other, I found out that he's married. Very happily so. I called him one night and told him not to ever contact me again. I didn't even tell him why but I just couldn't knowingly mess around with a married man."

"How did you find out he was married?" Brie turned to look at Helena and knew that her sister was also shocked at this information.

"I was in Saks, by the perfume counter and was trying on a new scent because I wanted to surprise him with a special night. I saw a woman come up and she was asking the perfume spritzer for a new scent because it was her wedding anniversary and she wanted to surprise her husband with a romantic evening for two. Her name is Amy and she began talking about her wonderful husband, Dean Winchester the third. I basically flew out the door and locked myself in my apartment and cried for three hours before I called him and broke it off. Ever since, my powers have been off and I've had to freeze my class room several times a week. I just don't know what's going on."

Helena's eyes squinted and she gave her cousin a once over. "Just asking, but have you been experience power malfunctions? You know, trying to do one thing and accidentally doing something else?"

"Well, yeah. I tried to blast a darklighter yesterday and ended up throwing lights at him. Then he threw me up the stairs. Why?"

Helena tossed a sideways glance at Brie. "Do you mind," she asked and held a glowing hand up to Payton's abdomen. She closed her eyes and smiled, the glow disappearing as she let her hand drop away and opened her eyes. "Just as I expected. You're about two and a half months pregnant."

* * *

"_Congratulations. You're pregnant Mrs. Halliwell."_

"_What," Prue asked before her eyes glazed over. This couldn't be happening. She was still in grad school and she had only just married Brody. Without her family present. Would they be present in her child's life? Would she let them?_

_

* * *

  
_

"_Why did you even come back, Prue? Patty may be willing to run straight into your arms and accept you back without a thought but I'm not. You abandoned us, with little more than a few letters a month. You never called, e-mailed or visited. You had to get out, fine. You're out. You have been for years. What changed? You never came back for holidays or birthdays. You were so content with just Brody, just school and no family. No sisters. Well guess what, I'm pretty content without you. Just stay away from us," Penny said and walked out. _

_

* * *

  
_

"_Why don't you tell them Prue?"_

"_Tell them what?"_

"_About the baby. Maybe then your sisters would understand."_

"_The baby is gone, Brody. There's no reason to tell anyone if there's no baby."_

"_We lost our baby, okay? No one will blame you for deciding that you want to be a part of your family again."_

"_We didn't lose our baby, Brody. I lost our baby. I went after a demon with no thought about what could happen to the baby and because of what I did our baby died. How do I tell them that I killed my baby?"_

* * *

"How do I tell the family that I'm pregnant when they don't even know that I had been seeing someone?"

"It'll be okay, Payton. You're a grown woman. Everyone will understand," Helena said.

"I'm afraid to tell them about Dean. Daddy and uncle Chris will be so mad."


	6. ch 6

Author's Note: So, I've decided to do a crossover with supernatural. I don't know why, but when I was writing the part with Payton I needed a name for her child's father and Dean Winchester III just popped in. I'm writing it on the assumption that Dean and Sam stopped Lilith from opening the 66 seals and were able to go on with their lives, having families and going back to hunting less difficult baddies. I really like the idea of these two families intermingling so I've decided to use it as part of my main plot for this story, though I will focus mainly on the personal interactions than on demons and magic.

Chapter 6

"It'll be okay," Brie said as she crawled over to her cousin to console her. "Uncle Wyatt couldn't hurt a fly, and daddy will see reason."

"If by reason you mean Mom wiping the floor with him when he tries to track this guy down," Helena said. "Don't forget, Dad is Payton's godfather. He'll be as protective of Payton as Uncle Wy. Never mind the fact that this guy is the competition."

"I really don't know what I'm going to tell them. I can't tell them about Dean."

Payton ran her hand through her hair and put the other over her womb. "How could I not know for two and a half months?"

Brie rubbed her hand in small circles on Payton's back. "It happens, honey. You were a little insecure and you were focused on how badly he hurt you. What's important is that you know now. We can help you with this."

"Thank you, guys. I don't know what I'm going to do. Not that I want to find him, but, I didn't even give him my real last name. When we met I wasn't sure if I could trust some guy sitting at a bar and I told him that my last name was Bennett. If I wanted to get in touch with him I'd have to start off with, 'I know you think I'm Payton Bennett but I lied. I'm really Payton Halliwell, and how are you?'"

The girls sat on the picnic blanket until the sun set, working on a plan for Payton and baby Halliwell. A gentle wind passed through the trees and as darkness finally took over, Payton allowed herself to finally feel soothed.

* * *

Helena entered the manor and dropped her bag and keys on the foyer table. As she walked towards the dining room she heard rustling in the kitchen and tried to sense who was there. After realizing it was her mom, Helena let her shoulders relax and she walked slowly into kitchen.

"Mom?"

Gabby slowly removed her head from the refrigerator. "Honey, hi. I didn't think you'd be back so soon. How was France?"

"It was nice. I haven't spent that much time with Payton and Brianna in a long time. But, uh, what are you doing here?"

"Well, since you decided to stay here instead of with me and your father, I thought I'd bring some groceries over."

"I see that, mom. But we both know that's not why you're really here. C'mon. Spill it."

Gabby leaned against the sink as she stared at her eldest child. "Have you thought about telling Brie why you really took off?"

"Some," Helena said reluctantly. "I'm not actually sure yet if I can really ever tell her about it."

Helena tucked her chin down to her chest and her red, wavy locks fell over her face. "There's just a lot of stuff going on right now. I'm home for the first time in years for more than a week long vacation and I'm thinking about staying here. I can put the past behind me, I've finally moved on. But if I tell Brie, it could get in the way of this peace treaty we have going on."

Gabby pushed off of the sink and closed the distance between her and Helena. Laying a hand on her daughter's upper arm she said, "That's your choice. But you need to think about what will happen if you don't tell her and somebody else does."

"Do you mean the family?"

"No, I don't honey," Gabby said in a flat tone. "When I came over I ran into the neighbor, old Mrs. Bourke. She told me that the house next to her had finally been taken off the market."

"So," Helena asked not sure what this information meant.

"It means that Milo is moving back."

"What," Helena's voice quivered.

* * *

"Yo, little Jimmy Dean. Get your head in the game," Dean Winchester said to his grandson. Lately the boy had seemed moody and Dean, Sr. was in no hurry to deal with a grown man acting like a chick. "We have all the info we need on the clan of assassin witches that were hired to take out those broads in San Francisco. I can't have you acting like some love sick prepubescent boy."

Dean turned to face his grandfather. Sometimes he swore that the old man would rather be out hunting than enjoying his retirement. Old Dean Winchester was a rare breed. He and Dean's great uncle Sam had been thrust into hunting even though their mother, Mary Winchester, had tried to leave that life. Over the years of being trained by their father John, and later when the evil son of a bitch Azazel's plan had culminated to fruition, the brothers were a force to be reckoned with. They had seen their fair share of supernatural activity and were well known by the supernatural community. The brothers had played a crucial role in saving the world when they were recruited by God to prevent the breaking of the sixty-six seals.

As Dean shook his head at his grandpa's stereotypical misogynist statement that was classic Dean Winchester, his father Dean, Jr. walked into the room. It wasn't often that the family hunted together anymore. With the eldest generation retiring, the others had begun to find their own lives outside of hunting, which was rarely severe enough to cause the family to regroup unless it was for poker or hustling pool.

Dean, Jr. who was known as DJ had made his living by opening his own firm as an architect. His oldest son had taken after him and was a junior partner, while his daughter Samantha was far more interested in hitting the road and hunting the things that went bump in the night. Out of all the Winchester children she was the most like Dean, Sr. When Sam had stopped by Santa Rosa to visit her brother, she had gotten wind of a plan to eliminate a powerful coven of good witches. At first she thought it was a fable because her family had never run into good witches. In fact, none of the Winchesters believed in "good" witches. But being Sam and itching for a hunt, she dragged her brother into the search.

They traced one of the assassin witches to San Francisco where the coven that was going to be attacked lived. Sam and Dean found her working in a Saks store at the perfume counter. Sam approached the counter and introduced herself as Amy Winchester. She had wanted to drop the Winchester name in order to get a reaction out of the witch. By pretending to be the housewife of one of the barely involved hunters, Sam hoped to persuade the witch into thinking she was harmless since it was well known that a branch of their family had settled in California. Sam had wanted the witch to think running into a Winchester was a mere coincidence. While she was there she had been able to find out when the witch, whose name was Jasmine, was working next. Over the next week Sam and Dean had followed Jazz, as she liked to be called during all of her human activities and tried to observe her abilities.

Over the past two month the Winchesters had collected as much information as possible and it all lead back to the fact that a big bad wanted the destruction of what was supposed to be the most powerful coven of witches ever. Great uncle Sam was still the best researcher they had, and he had uncovered a centuries old prophecy about the arrival of three sisters who would be the most powerful witches the world had ever known and were called the charmed ones.

They had collected a family genealogy and tales of battles the family had taken part in, starting with the birth of the family matriarch, Melinda Warren on the eve of samhain. They uncovered tales of Brianna who had separated a war lord from his sword, as well as a story of three cousins. When one of the cousins fell in love with a warlock named Anton, the other two had killed the third and cursed her to prevent her from ever being able to unite with the warlock in any life. More recently were tales of one Penny Halliwell whom was known as a kick ass and take names persona. She had been well known as a fierce protector of her three granddaughters after the death of their mother Patricia, whom had drown at the summer camp her two eldest daughters clippings and uncle Sam's ability to hack into anything undetected had provided them with information about the death of Prudence Halliwell as well as the adoption of a fourth daughter, Paige Matthews whom appeared to have been reunited with her half-sisters.

The Winchesters weren't sure if the prophecy had meant these four sisters, as it had only mentioned three. Reaching out to old contacts, they confirmed that before the death of Prue Halliwell whom was known as the most powerful before her death, she and her sisters had been known as the charmed ones. When Paige had been reunited with her biological sisters, the "power of three" had been reconstituted.

"Hey, son," DJ said. "Are you ready to go after this clan?"

"Yeah, I've got the weapons stocked in the impala and I've talked to Milo. He's back in San Francisco and he's got some interesting news that he's shared with me."

"Well, where's your cousin and what news does he have? Your uncle never once said anything about Milo coming out to California. I thought he was comfortable out in New York."

"He moved in a house on Prescott Street. Now, he doesn't know it," Dean said, chuckling, "but it's the same street that the Halliwells live on. He's in a perfect position to watch over them. Apparently, he used to have a kind of personal relationship with one of the grandchildren of Piper Halliwell." Dean's mouth turned up at one side in his signature cocky smirk. "He doesn't know that they're supposedly witches."

"Great, you know how he feels about witches. Imagine what'll happen when he finds out he was dating one," DJ said. "Uncle Sam put together individual files on each of the children of the original charmed ones. Each sister had three children. Now, Uncle Sam thinks that each set of three can tap into the power of three, but we don't know who has which of the three original powers yet. There seems to be a pattern in the birth order of these units. Usually, they are born either two boys and a girl, two girls and a boy or all girls. Now, only one group is all boys. We don't know what this means. According to contacts and the family tree, there hadn't been a boy born into the family in over three hundred years before the birth of Piper Halliwell's first child, Wyatt."

DJ passed out files for each of the men to look at.

"Sammy did say that each generation is stronger than the last and that prophecies like to follow this family like lost puppies. He also said that the eldest is usually the most powerful of the generation. So Piper's boy Wyatt is the most powerful of his generation —" Dean, Sr. said.

"Which makes his eldest child, Payton the strongest witch of her generation and, technically speaking, the world," DJ said, reading her file. "She works as an elementary teacher in the school district of—"

"Santa Rosa," Dean said, his mouth pulled down in a frown.

* * *

Dean walked up to 1325 Prescott street and knocked on his cousin's door. When Milo opened the door he was surprised when Dean shoved passed him and entered the living room."We have a problem and you need to get on board."

Milo stood straight and folded his arms across his chest. "What's going on Dean? Does this have anything to do with the hunt that the family is so concerned about."

"Yeah, it does, Milo. That girl you said you were gonna try and look up, you said her name was Helena Halliwell. Does she have a cousin Payton?"

"Yeah, they were pretty much inseparable when I knew them. Why? Is something after them, is that what the hunt is about?" Milo began to pace and shoved a hand through his short brown hair.

"Milo, they're witches!"


	7. ch 7

Chapter 7

Helena gazed at the roaring fire, her eyes glazed over with tears. The gleam from the flames softened the darkness in the room to a surreal glowing that was almost magical. Since her mother had left, Helena had been left to mull over the information that Milo Sullivan was back in San Francisco and even worse, he was living on the same street.

It had been almost a decade since Helena had been in contact with Milo. They had met when she was only fourteen and he was seventeen, but Helena had always had a thing for older guys. It had been the middle of her freshman year of high school and she was extremely involved in extracurricular activities and along came this cute junior that was all rebel and no cause. When he started passing notes to her in chem. class Helena was shocked. She didn't even think that he had any idea who she was.

They began hanging out after classes and eventually Helena had begun ditching. Between checking out occult stores in other cities and checking out new bands at house parties, Helena spent the next year dating Milo and getting into more and more trouble. Her parents and cousins had tried intervening but all that did was to make sure that Helena spent the day in school. Afterwards, Helena began to sneak out of the house to meet Milo, sometimes not coming home before going to school.

Milo had become Helena's entire world. He was smart and funny and mysterious and he made her feel free when she couldn't be. At least, not entirely, because of her obligation to keep magic a secret. But Milo was incredibly well informed on the supernatural. He claimed that his father and grandfather had fed him stories about ghosts and ghouls. Helena wanted to tell him that some of the mythology he knew was true, and correct what he had wrong. But Milo was a story teller, and all she could do was to listen as he spun tales about exploits about fictional characters.

By the time Helena was sixteen and Milo had graduated from high school, she found out that she was pregnant. The only problem was that Milo had left California for New York. They had kept in contact by texting but Helena couldn't make herself tell Milo or anybody else about the pregnancy. She had already been three months along by the time she had found out, and unfortunately Helena had been drinking and smoking during that time.

Helena couldn't turn to her family. Not after alienating them all for the past year. She only had the summer to figure out what she was going to do. It turned out that the decision was taken out of her hand. Two weeks after determining that she was pregnant, Helena was home alone. Brianna was staying at Uncle Wyatt's house with Payton, and Chris and Gabby were out with Victor for the day. No one was there while she miscarried.

After the spotting had stopped, Helena orbed to Teresa's medical trailer where she provided free treatment to her gypsy clan. Teresa was the granddaughter of a gypsy that the charmed ones had helped decades before, and their families had been close ever since. She helped Helena through this time and was sworn to secrecy, never to tell any of the Halliwells.

After losing the baby Helena started to act out again. This time, however, she began by causing arguments with Milo whenever they were in touch. She started to ignore his texts and phone calls and spent more time partying and hooking up with guys at her high school. School became less for her studies, even though her parents wouldn't budged and maintained that she would keep her grades up unless she wanted to be homeschooled.

Helena began playing pranks at school, like starting a stink bomb during a pep rally and creating embarrassing videos about different jocks and cheerleaders that she posted throughout the school network, after she hacked into it, of course. She became public enemy number one around school and was suspended more than a few times for fighting.

Things changed at the end of her junior year, when her mother found her sneaking into her room one night after a party. The two had spent the rest of the night talking, and Helena finally told someone about her experience the summer before. Gabby helped Helena to get back on track, and a year later Helena was off to Berkley.

But now Milo was here and Helena felt as if her world was being ripped apart by the seams.

* * *

Brianna and Payton were at P3 as were Pier, Porter and their Aunt Patricia. Aunt Trish was covering for Melinda, who was enjoying a date with Gray in celebration of the end of their separation. Since her husband had passed away three years ago, Trish had put her popular children books on hold, opting to focus on her three boys now that they were teenagers. She was independently wealthy and flitted back and forth between the Manor House and P3 whenever someone needed the night off. As for the others, Pier and Porter were there with their significant others in a private booth, while Brianna and Payton hung out by the bar as they listened to hottest band the club had ever booked.

"Where's Helena? She's almost an hour late," Payton said. "The band will be done playing before she manages to get here. Can you call her, Brie?"

"Yeah, I've tried texting but she's not responding." Brie punched in a number and held the phone to her ear. "All I'm getting is voicemail. Her phone must be off." Brie pushed herself off the stool and left her clutch there to hold her spot. "Watch my stuff. I'm gonna pop by the manor and see what's going on."

Brianna pushed through the crowd towards the manager's office and closed the door behind her before orbing into the manor's entrance. She heard the soft, soothing music coming from the living room and turned to see her sister staring at the fireplace. "Helena, what's wrong?"She stepped forward and sat across from her sister.

Helena turned to look at Brie. "I have to tell you something."

* * *

"What," Milo said, his voice small and strained. "No. I've known her since we were kids, I would've known, she would have—"

"—told you," Dean asked sarcastically. "You told me yourself that you haven't talked to this chick in nine years. You obviously don't know this girl as well as you think."

"How do you know this, anyway," Milo demanded as he paced the floor.

"Sam came to visit a few months ago and she caught wind of a price on the heads of a powerful coven. Someone hired a group of assassin witches known as phoenixes to finish them off."

"They're witches," Milo argued. "Why would you want to hunt this clan? Why not let them get rid of the coven, it'd be better for everyone if evil started killing each other off. Then we wouldn't need to hunt in our spare time."

"Because," Dean said, "they're supposed to be the most powerful force of good ever."

Milo turned to look at his cousin. It clicked then. Milo snapped his fingers and pointed at Dean. "You're in love with Payton, aren't you?"

* * *

"How could you not tell me about this, Lena?"

Helena tucked her chin to her chest and let out a sob. "What was I supposed to say? 'I'm leaving and I'm not coming back because, guess what, I killed my baby'?"

"You just left and never said anything, Helena. For Christ's sake, don't you think that I deserved to know what was going on with you? You spent the last years with us causing trouble and taking up everyone's time and attention because mom and dad were so worried about you. Maybe if you had just talked to me or trusted me, maybe you wouldn't have stayed away so long and I wouldn't have been so angry with you."

"Brie," Helena began.

"No, I was so angry with you for shutting me out. For not letting me be important enough for you to even consider. We were supposed to be best friends; you, me and Payton. I was so furious with you that I took it out on everyone around me, and I had to be the complete opposite of you." Brie was sobbing now, and held a hand to her chest. "I was so awful to you when you came back because it was like I was being ignored again just like high school. How can you just forget that and forgive me?"

"I couldn't tell anyone. I barely even told mom. I was so self-involved that I couldn't think about anyone else. I tried my best to go on with school but by the time I was ready to come home I had ruined things with you. It's why I started traveling rather than coming home. I thought it'd be easier for everyone."

"And Milo?"?

"What about him," Helena said.

"You're going to see him eventually, and then what are you going to do?"

* * *

Trish walked over to Payton and handed her a cranberry and Bacardi. "Why don't you go over to the manor and see what's going on with your cousins? I'll call the manor and tell them to expect you. You might as well bring Brie's car back so she doesn't need to come back for it later."

"Thanks, Aunt Trish. I'll see you, later."

Payton took Brie's clutch and walked towards the exit, pulling out the keys to Brie's sporty, black convertible. "Good thing I know how to drive stick," she said sliding into the driver's seat and took off for Prescott Street.

Payton pulled into the driveway and turned the engine off. She climbed out of the car and walked up to the manor, letting herself in. "Hey, what happened," she called out and walked to the living room.

Brie and Helena turned to look at Payton. "Uh, maybe you should sit down," Helena said.

* * *

The next day the family gathered at the Manor House for their weekly Sunday brunch. The restaurant was closed each Sunday for breakfast and lunch, since it was the only place large enough to seat the forty-seven family members. Melinda and Penny arrived an hour early to prepare brunch, making muffins, frittatas, croissants, sausage, pancakes, waffles, omelets, yogurt with fruits and much more.

Many of the kids formed their own tables, preferring to sit away from their parents. Warren, Michael and Parker sat with Priti, Pamela and Pilar, while Paul, Perry, Polly and Presley sat together. The aunts and uncles mingled and discussed new goings on about work and what else. While that happened, Payton sat with Brie and Helena, waiting to make her announcement. When she pushed her seat out to stand, her father cleared his throat and clanged a spoon against his drinking glass.

"I've waited to make this announcement today, rather than when the news was first made known to me. I wanted all of the family to be together rather than having to make phone calls late last night. I've been approached by a very prestigious family of hunters."

"What do you mean by hunters," Priscilla asked.

"There are families out there, whom know of the supernatural world, and have been directly affected. They gather intelligence, train in weapons and martial arts and they go after different supernatural beings. Last night, I was approached by a family very well known in these circles. They've been tracking the Phoenix clan. Apparently there is a price on our heads. Someone in the underworld wants us extinct."

"What's new," Parker shouted from his table and his cousins snickered.

"This would be the second organized attack on our family this week. This much activity is worrisome. I've invited the family to join us for brunch, to share the intelligence they've gathered on the matter. I've sent Johnny to pick them up—"

Just then Johnny orbed in behind his father, toting Dean, Sr., DJ, Dean, Samantha, Milo and Sam.

"Oh, shit," Helena whispered right before Payton passed out.


	8. ch 8

Author's Note:  Sammy or uncle Sam pertains to the original character from Supernatural, where as Sam will be used to identify my original character who is the granddaughter of the original Dean, who goes by Dean, Sr.

Thanks Aly, for a little inspiration. You'll see what I mean.

Chapter 8

"There are families out there, whom know of the supernatural world, and have been directly affected. They gather intelligence, train in weapons and martial arts and they go after different supernatural beings. Last night, I was approached by a family very well known in these circles. They've been tracking the Phoenix clan. Apparently there is a price on our heads. Someone in the underworld wants us extinct."

"What's new," Parker shouted from his table and his cousins snickered.

"This would be the second organized attack on our family this week. This much activity is worrisome. I've invited the family to join us for brunch, to share the intelligence they've gathered on the matter. I've sent Johnny to pick them up—"

Just then Johnny orbed in behind his father, toting Dean, Sr., DJ, Dean, Samantha, Milo and Sam.

"Oh, shit," Helena whispered right before Payton past out.

* * *

"Oh, shit" was the last thing Payton heard before everything went black. Her body fell from the chair and she landed on the floor with a thud. When she came to she was surrounded by family, her mother, Margret, was holding her head in her lap and Wyatt was trying to heal her. When his hand, emanating a golden light, lingered over her abdomen, Payton knew that her father was well aware of her circumstances. His face turned up, to stare her in the eyes. "Are you alright, sweetie?"

"Yeah, daddy," Payton said as her father took her hand and pulled her up to a standing position. "I just got a little light headed, is all."

"Why don't you go sit down in the office, and I'll come in and check on you in a little while?"

"Sounds good. Thanks, dad," she said, thankful that he hadn't outed her to the rest of the family and worse, in front of Dean.

"You're welcome. Helena, Brie, why don't you go with her."

"Sure, Uncle Wy," Brie said and pulled Helena with her as she and Payton passed Milo and Dean, going to the office in the back of the restaurant.

Once Wyatt was sure the girls were out of hearing, he turned to the Winchesters and zeroed in on Dean. "You," he said as he pointed to Dean. "Come with me."

Wyatt tugged Dean by the shoulder as he headed for the front door. Once there, he turned back. "Winchester," he called out to Dean, Sr. "Why don't you fill in the rest of the brood. We might be a while," he said as he pushed Dean outside and directed him to the alley way.

Dean marched ahead of Wyatt, as directed. "What's this all about—" Dean said, turning.

Wyatt slugged him.

* * *

"So, what you're saying is that this Jazz girl is a phoenix, and she's been hired to take out our family. What's the big deal? We deal with lowlife threats like this all the time," Parker said.

"Yeah, except they haven't been unified attacks between cooperating demons," Pilar said. "This is the first time in fifty years that evil has been able to afford the luxury of creating a political alliance to take us out."

"Yeah, no history lesson needed. But there are almost fifty of us, and if our Grandmas could stop the apocalypse and take out the political structure of the underworld and find the time to be mothers and career women than why can't we eliminate this threat just the same way we always would."

There were waves of whispers as groups of family members discussed what this news meant among one another.

"The Phoenix," Sammy begun, "are extremely dangerous. They are highly trained in all aspects of combat and dark magic—"

"Been there, done that," Chris Halliwell said. "We know about the Phoenix, rather intimately. I was involved with one, for lack of a better explanation."

"What do you mean 'lack of a better explanation'? That sounds pretty self explanatory," Dean, Sr. said, chuckling.

"Ewe," Victor muttered under his breath. The last thing he wanted to know about was his dad's ex-girlfriends. _That's just disturbing_.

The Winchesters stood at the bar, separate from the Halliwell clan. Milo, kept looking over his shoulder to see if Helena would reappear. DJ, of course, was concerned about the goings on of his eldest child. He had been aware of something going on with Dean since he had guessed the location where Payton Halliwell taught at one of the public schools. It hadn't taken much for him to piece everything together. Dean's bipolar like switching from depressed to angry over the past couple of months was a major clue that his son was heartbroken. It was a family trait to react that way when something got in the way of a Winchester and their women. DJ also didn't like that his son was alone with the father of a woman with whom the relationship had ended badly. But why had it ended badly?

Chris went on to explain about a previous time in Halliwell history when an identical version of himself had traveled back in time to prevent his brother from becoming evil. As he tried to sail through his story to get to his point, the Winchesters were flabbergasted at all this information. It was all too much to take in. This was some freaky shit and the Halliwells acted as if it were an everyday occurrence for them—oh, wait. It was.

"The phoenix clan has the ability to strip powers directly out of the body of their victim. If the power stripping isn't complete, the venom from a phoenix will slowly and painfully kill the prey as it cripples their powers. Now, phoenixes have powers similar to demons that they've adapted to over the years. Shimmering, energy balls, etc."

"Wait a minute body," Dean, Sr. said. "What do you mean by shimmering and energy balls?"

"You've never come across demons who have displayed these powers over the course of your hunting?"

"I don't even know what these powers are or what you mean by their description." Dean, Sr. said.

"Johnny," Chris called out to his nephew. "Do you think you can project an image of these powers, so that the Winchesters have an idea what I mean?"

"Sure, Uncle Chris," Allan "Johnny" Halliwell said. With a wave of his arm, he projected a image with the clarity of a big screen television with HD. Johnny was in complete control of this power and had a lot of fun running the projected image in slow motion and highlighting important features.

"Sweet," Sam said with wonder in her voice.

"I've never seen anything do that," Milo said in response.

"Sam, what other information did you get on the phoenix you were following," Dean, Sr. asked.

The blonde pushed her elbows off the bar as she stood straight. "This girl, Jazz, isn't deeply involved with her heritage. Apparently she grew up in the mortal world, with minimal training and jobs. A background check shows that she attended school right here in San Francisco her entire life and she attended the State University of San Francisco for two years before dropping out. This shebang must be pretty big if she's willing to take this mission. As many of you as there are, it's practically suicide."

Sam leaned against the bar again, done with her report of what little findings she had. Her uncle rustled through some files and began to review his own research on the matter. "We also know that her mother died about four years ago, around the time the girl dropped out of school," Sammy said. "If I recall correctly, her name was—" Sammy stopped to ruffle through some papers, "Bianca Wardwell."

"Bianca," Chris said in a monotonous tone, like a robot. Little emotions behind the word and none left visible on the man's face.

"The Bianca," Gabby questioned. Her voice conveyed the exact opposite of her husband's. Traces of fear and regret laced her words.

* * *

"You Son of a bitch," Wyatt yelled as Dean began to rise from the ground. He was itching for a fight, and every pacifistic thought he had ever had was gone without a warning. Wyatt's whitelighter tendencies were gone with the idea that this jackass had left his little girl hurt and with child.

Dean shook his head and held his hand to his jaw which had never before taken such a devastating blow. Dean had been built to take a punch, but man, this one hurt like hell. He stood slowly, trying to anticipate the older man's next move. "I don't know why the hell you would want to hit me, but I'm guessing it has something to do with Payton," Dean said, still wiping blood from a cut on his lip.

"You're damn straight it has to do with my daughter. Did you think I wouldn't find out about you," Wyatt demanded. "You came to me and told me about this plot against my family but you never thought to mention once that you knew my daughter intimately!"

Wyatt was furious. The nerve of this guy to think that he wouldn't be found out. Well, Wyatt was going to teach the boy a lesson and it started with a well deserved beating.

"I would just like to know how you went from not having an idea one second to attacking me another," Dean said. "Besides, I don't know why you're so upset."

Wyatt snorted. _Who does this guy think he is?_

"Your daughter was the one that ended it, after all," Dean went on. "She dropped me like a hot potato without as much as a warning."

"My daughter wouldn't do anything like that."

"Oh yeah, why don't you go ask her," Dean practically shouted. "Hell, I'd like to know why she did it too, as a matter of fact. Maybe I should go ask." He moved to walk past Wyatt but was shoved back.

"You'll stay away from my daughter or so help me god I will kill you," Wyatt promised.

"And why is that, old man?"

"Because she's pregnant!"

* * *

"What do you think is going on out there," Brianna asked from her position at the office door. She was trying to catch a little of the briefing outside, waiting for some kind of outbreak from her uncle Wyatt.

Helena sat beside Payton on the loveseat, rubbing small circles on the blonde's back. Payton's face was in her hands and she hadn't said a word since she had been alone with her cousins. "I think we would have heard something by now," Helena said, already knowing what her sister was thinking. She just hoped her sister was wrong.

"Payton," the three heard Dean's voice calling and loud whisperings hanging in the air. All three girls turned to look at the door as it opened, Brianna yelped as she was pushed aside by the door. Dean entered and found Payton's face.

"You and me, alone. Right now," he demanded.

Payton just bobbed her head, and took a large gulp.

* * *

Sam tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ears, quietly observing the Halliwell clan as they whispered amongst themselves. Her family was still standing back from the family of witches, not sure if they were trustworthy. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened with Dean and Wyatt outside, but was sure it had something to do with the blonde that had fainted earlier as Dean had stalked back to the office upon reentering the restaurant. Sam couldn't shake the feeling that she had met the witch somewhere else, but as she took the time to internalize, she caught the one who had brought her family to the Manor House staring at her with curious eyes.

Johnny, she knew he was called even though his name was Allan Jonathon Halliwell, was tall, dark and sinister looking. A far cry from the cookie cutter look that oozed out of his older sister, and though he was identical to his twin brother, Andrew seemed to be the lighthearted brother; the yin to Johnny's yang.

Sam shifted her weight off one foot to another, never breaking eye contact with him until Wyatt came back inside and approached his wife Margret, who looked startled and sent a concerned glance to where Dean and Payton were.

* * *

Margret and Gabby sat away from their husbands who were having a heated discussion as Wyatt tried to prevent Chris from kicking the living daylights out of the ass who had messed with his God daughter. The two had met twenty-eight years ago, when Chris had brought his latest charge to the Halliwell Manor to be trained in witchcraft. Margret and Wyatt had been married for less than a year and were expecting their first child in less than three months.

From the moment the two women had met, they had been inseparable. Margret was mortal, and for the first of two times in her life, she was dealing with unexpected powers that she at first had no idea how to use. Wyatt had spent the first two trimesters of Margret's pregnancy training her, and by the time Chris had been assigned Gabby as a charge, Margret had finally been able to understand the awesome responsibility that all the Halliwells shared. As such, Margret was also able to appreciate the fact that Gabby was new to her powers, which had been bound as an infant because her mother was mortal and her father was a witch.

The two had become as close as sisters. Sharing special moments when each had their first children, going to school plays and planning family events between their three boys and girls. If anyone understood the news that their daughter was pregnant, it would be Gabby, who had long ago confided in Margret about Helena's situation. Margret hoped that everything would end well this time.

_Dazzling, white-blue bursts of light appeared by the dining room of the Halliwell manor, manifesting into two distinctly different shapes. A scruffy twenty-seven year old Christopher was arguing with a short, dark haired beauty with porcelain skin and hazel eyes. _

"_You will wait—"_

"_The hell I will," Gabby spat back at him. "That thing is responsible for everything—"_

"_You don't think I know that," Christopher bellowed. _

_There arguing was stopped by a loud, high pitched whistle that resonated between Wyatt's lips from his place in the kitchen doorway. "What the hell is going on out here?"_

"_I got assigned a new charge, who has absolutely no respect for her life or mine," Chris began only to be interrupted._

"_See, that's where you're wrong. I have all the respect in the world for __**my **__life," Gabby said. _

"_What's with the bickering," a very pregnant Margret asked as she descended the stairs._

_

* * *

_

_Gabby and Margret were in the attic training as Wyatt spent time calming his hothead brother down. Chris and Gabby just couldn't stop rubbing each other the wrong way. He thought she was stubborn and a fool while she thought he was an arrogant…_

_This had been going on for weeks. Nonstop bickering and vulgar words were thrown back and forth. No one would ever think of Chris as angelic if they heard the things he said but Gabby would definitely be thought of as a b…witch. _

"_Admit it, you're hot for him," Margret said trying to use the baby's freezing power. _

"_You're deranged."_

"_Please, I'm just waiting for the time that you guys get so angry with each other that you fall into bed."_

"_I hope it doesn't run in the family," Gabby elaborated on her previous comment. "The day I think Christopher Halliwell is sexy is the day someone shows mercy on me and blows _his_ brains out," she said practicing her ability to manipulate water._

_

* * *

_

"_The day I think Gabby is sexy is the day I blow my own brains out," Chris said to Wyatt._

"_I think thou doth protest too much," Wyatt responded. _

"_Yeah, right. That woman is a cancerous—"_

"_Don't say it, Chris. She is still your charge. Whether or not you get along."_

_

* * *

_

"_You're such a bitch," Chris yelled at Gabby from his position by his bed. The manor was empty, as Melinda was at her dorm and Wyatt and Margret were at a doctor's appointment._

"_Yeah, well you're a do—"_

_Chris grabbed her by the collar and dragged her to him as he kissed her passionately and through her on the bed. _

_

* * *

_

_Gabby walked out of Chris's room quietly so as not to make him aware of her escape. She fluffed her hair back and turned to walk down the hallway when she saw an eighth month pregnant Margret coming towards her, eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's. _

"_Um hum," Margret teased as she walked passed Gabby and entered the bedroom she shared with Wyatt while they house sat for his parents._

"_BAllS," Gabby whispered loudly as she snuck out of the manor._

_

* * *

_

"_Admit it, you're hot for me," Chris said, reaching for Gabby's wrist and spinning her into his arms. _

"_You're insane," she said before Chris kissed her. _

"_Marry me."_

_

* * *

_

"You're insane," Payton yelled at Dean, as her cousins left the office. She tried to distance herself as much as possible, but Dean wouldn't allow that.

"You are going to marry me, damn it and that's final!"

"You arrogant sleaze ball—"

"Don't even bother trying to deny it, sweetheart. Your father told me himself! Did you think I wouldn't have found you eventually? That I would have stopped searching?"

"Why should you have bothered trying? It's over!"

"It's not over 'til I have a ring on your finger and my name is on the god damn birth certificate," Dean yelled.

"Who says you're the father?"

"What?"

* * *

Helena and Brie stood outside the office, each with an ear pressed to the door.

"She didn't," Brie exclaimed.

"Oh, yes she did," Helena responded.

"What are you two doing," a voice asked from behind them. The two sisters turned their heads to look at the intruder.

"Hi, daddy," Brie said as her face contorted into a look of guilt.


	9. ch 9

Author's Note:  Hey, I hope you guys like this chapter. It's kind of short compared to the last chapter. Tell me what you think.

Chapter 9

"It's not over 'til I have a ring on your finger and my name is on the god damn birth certificate," Dean yelled.

"Who says you're the father?"

"What?"

Helena and Brie stood outside the office, each with an ear pressed to the door.

"She didn't," Brie exclaimed.

"Oh, yes she did," Helena responded.

"What are you two doing," a voice asked from behind them. The two sisters turned their heads to look at the intruder.

"Hi, daddy," Brie said as her face contorted into a look of guilt.

* * *

It had been two hours since Payton exited the office, stalking past her eaves dropping cousins and frustrated godfather. She had never, ever thought she would be the type of woman who would lie about the paternity of her child but Dean had angered her with his demands of marriage when had had yet to explain how he could show up with his family and not admit to already being married.

The nerve of the man. God, what a sleaze. A sleaze that looked hot in that tight-pants-wearing-scruffy-bearded-bad-boy-who-kicks-ass-and-takes-numbers kind of way.

_Damn it_, she thought. _My knees still go weak when he's around me. _She danced around her room, trying to blow off some steam. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

_

* * *

  
_

When Payton had stalked out of the office, Chris, Brie and Helena had forgotten their own feelings and thoughts in order to try and sooth her but Payton had needed to be left alone. Chris went off to chat up Wyatt, and Brie and Helena returned to the dining area where the rest of the family remained. All aspects of conversation were focused on the current situation with Payton and Dean, rather than on the important matter of the phoenix clan.

Helena walked up to her mother and kissed her goodbye. "I think I'm going to get going. I have a couple of job interviews to prepare for. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. I can fill you in if we find anything else out," Gabby said. She watched her eldest leave the restaurant, noticing someone else following her out the door.

When Helena made it back to the manor, she shut the door and hung her blazer up before moving further into the foyer. She sniffed the new gerbera daisies that had replaced the tulips on the foyer table, dropping her keys and purse. Helena remembered the first time she had fallen in love with this flower. It was on one of her outings with Milo, when they were skipping school one day. They had gone to the park and were sitting on a bench that they had found, hanging from a tree. It was the first flower Milo had ever given her. No one else knew that.

"Your cousin Johnny let me in," Milo said.

Hearing his voice, Helena tensed. She willed herself to look back at him but something stopped her.

"I don't know what I was thinking," he continued. "I came back here, knowing the chances that you were still here were slim. But when old Mrs. Bourke said you were still here, that you had just come home, I had some hope that we could reconnect and then my cousin tells me that you're a witch—"

"So, what? I'm a witch, get over it," Helena said, whipping around. "Guess what? I haven't seen you in a decade. I don't actually owe you anything," she screamed at him. "What did you expect after all this time? What gives you the right to _expect _anything?"

"You throwing me out of your life for no reason gives me the right," Milo said raising his voice to match hers. "I have never gone a day without thinking of you—"

"But now I'm a witch, so you don't see me as a person anymore," Helena accused him of. "Never mind the fact that you're a hunter, I'm the freak here, right?"

"I never said that—"

"You didn't have to! If it bothers you so much than why the hell are you here? Why did you follow me home?"

"Because I still love you, damn it."

* * *

Sam watched as Dean and Milo took off. Hours later, she still remained at the bar. Her father and the Halliwells were discussing god knew what, leaving her to her own devices. She noticed Johnny get behind the bar and turned to see what he was doing.

"Wanna drink," he asked.

"It's not even four o'clock," Sam said as if she had some sense of proper etiquette. "Whiskey?"

"I thought so," Johnny said. "I didn't have you pegged as the type who likes fruity little drinks."

"Really, you had me _pegged_ that quickly, huh?" Sam had inherited her grandfather's outrageous flirting which came with smutty dialogue and inappropriate come ons. If it worked it worked, if it didn't then she didn't mind. Usually, she didn't ever go home empty handed so she was generally a very happy Winchester.

Johnny smirked at her, pouring her drink along with one for his self. "I certainly hope so," he said, adopting her crude attitude. "I'm not really one for family affairs. I like to get in and get out with all of my vital organs intact. How 'bout we get out of here?"

"Sure," Sam said standing up from her stool. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

"Open up," someone yelled as they pounded on his door. Dean was staying at Milo's house, and had spent the past three hours raiding his cousin's bar. His conversation with Payton had put him to the point that if he didn't drink he was going to kill someone. Getting drunk seemed like a better idea.

He pushed himself up from the couch and made his way over to the stereo to lower the volume. Carry on my wayward son had just started.

"Open up," the voice screamed again.

He opened the door just as Payton was going to knock again. "We need to talk," she said pushing past him to enter the house. He closed the door behind her, and when he turned to face her he was met by her palm slapping him across his face with a force he had never known before.

Dean looked back at Payton as his face turned red and a hand print became noticeable. His eyes were full of anger, and without thinking about it he reached out and grabbed her; kissing her full forced and picking her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist.

* * *

Payton picked up her panties from the floor, only wearing an over sized sweater that she had borrowed from Dean to sleep in. As she walked towards the door a floorboard creaked, causing Dean to stir from sleep. As he turned over to see what was happening, Payton froze him and left. Once the door closed the freeze wore off and Dean looked around and noticed that Payton was gone.

"Damn it," he muttered, pounding his fist on a pillow.


	10. ch 10

Author's Note:  Hey, I hope you guys like this chapter. It's kind of short compared to the last chapter. Tell me what you think.

Chapter 10

Payton picked up her panties from the floor, only wearing an over sized sweater that she had borrowed from Dean to sleep in. As she walked towards the door a floorboard creaked, causing Dean to stir from sleep. As he turned over to see what was happening, Payton froze him and left. Once the door closed the freeze wore off and Dean looked around and noticed that Payton was gone.

"Damn it," he muttered, pounding his fist on a pillow.

* * *

Payton had decided to stay at the manor with Helena after the scene at the restaurant earlier in the day. So when she arrived back in the manor at five, she really didn't expect to have any witnesses to her walk of shame.

"Trying to sneak in, hmm?"

Helena was sitting in the conservatory with a cup of tea between her hands and her knees pulled up to her chest. Her red hair hung back in a messy ponytail and she wore an oversized cut off shirt and spandex leggings. Helena's gaze had been directed at the fire, but she knew her cousin was standing still at the door frame.

Payton relaxed her shoulders, which had tensed at hearing her cousin's voice.

Moving into the conservatory, she sat beside Helena before asking, "Honey, what's wrong?"

Helena sipped from her mug and threw a sideways glance at her cousin. "At least you got to run away from last night's mistake. Mine is still in bed."

Payton's eyes rounded with shock, as if she had just been physically slapped.

Helena just took another sip of her tea before she began to sob.

* * *

Dean Winchester, Sr. sat in his room with a bottle of vodka and old reruns of the twilight zone playing. It had been hard, to see her and know that she held no memory of the past. A past she had been responsible for changing in order to fix the future and save their present. He had spent a year with her; fighting off the things that go bump in the night and then going home to play bump in the night.

This was something he'd hoped for. A reason to check up on her and make sure she was okay. The girl who would never remember him as the Penny he had seen today was a different product of a manipulated reality. She would never know that she had been the mother of his only daughter, who had died only sixteen years after her birth, or share in his mourning.

Dean had allowed his son and grandchildren to believe that Grace Mary Winchester was the product of his marriage to Lonnie Reeves, a sweet natured woman who had taken pity on the single father and had helped him raise Grace after the departure of her mother. Even Sam and Ruby had agreed to keep his secret. When this hunt had come to his attention, he had grabbed the chance to come outta retirement. Sammy knew his real reasons but the children hadn't. All of Sam's research was first hand information from fifty years ago which he had updated for the current situation.

Dean felt pitiful, as he felt jealous of his grandson and great nephew, who weren't separated from their women by time. Still, he had had seventeen amazing years of joy with the Halliwells albeit without their knowledge. Seeing her, with her three children had hurt. But he was grateful that she had found her chance at a normal life. Knowing Penny had gone on to find love was bittersweet, as had been the years since she had exited his life. If he could protect her family like she had protected his, he could die in peace.

* * *

Milo woke up and saw Helena, clutched in a fetal position on the edge of her side of the bed, as far from him as possible. Milo moved over and pulled her into his arm so that they were spooning. He kissed her hair and tightened his hold on her. "I'm not going anywhere."

Helena turned into him and looked him in the eyes. "I wish that were true."


	11. ch 11

Author's Note:  Hey, I hope you guys like this chapter. It's the longest chapter I've ever written and I think it's the most Jerry Springer like one, too. I mean, it's like a friggin' soap opera…oh, well. I've now increased the level of ridiculousness and confusion for you. Enjoy

Chapter 11

Two weeks had passed since the Halliwells and Winchesters had met to discuss the threat that had been uncovered. Since that time, things had begun to change dramatically for the large extended family. One change that had been unexpected and greatly welcomed was the change to Johnny, Wyatt's youngest child by only a manner of minutes.

For the past five years Johnny had spent his time fulfilling the typical families spot for "deadbeat mooch" who avoided any and all family functions and worked as a bartender at the Manor House and P3. The truth was Johnny couldn't stand being around the family. It wasn't that he thought they were obnoxious or annoying, but rather he felt pathetic every time a loved one showed compassion or concern for his well being. It somehow made him feel inadequate, but hey, when you were the family mooch that only bothered to show up to family events when there was an open bar it tends to make you feel like less of a human being.

Let's face it; the Halliwells were righteous people, even if they didn't act like it. So the fact that Johnny – never-converse-for-more-than-two-minutes-in-any-topic-that-isn't-about-football Johnny—had been interacting with his siblings and cousins was seen as a small miracle. Because even though Johnny couldn't bear the pity his family threw at him, baring down on his chest as a weight that was suffocating him, he loved his family and wasn't about to leave them hanging when there was a hit on them.

His family was right, though. In the two weeks since he had casually taken Sam Winchester to bed he had changed.

* * *

They had changed; Payton Elise Halliwell certainly knew that. She and Dean had changed; but when she looked back on her discovery that he was married and the events that followed it was bound to happen. And man, had those events taken a toll on what they had had before they were reunited.

Since the confrontation at brunch to the walk of shame the next morning, Payton had remained under the impression that Dean was married. It made her question the type of person she was; if she should be in the position to handle the kind of power she was born to and would give birth to in six months.

Then, after one of the many late night visits Payton had shared with Dean, they had gotten to talking. It was only then that she felt like the biggest fool and she remembered an old adage about eavesdroppers only getting half of the story. Now, knowing that Dean had never really been married and having the hindsight to realize that she had inadvertently walked into the investigation of the hit on her family, the eldest Halliwell of her generation felt sick knowing that she had almost single-handedly ruined her child's future with his father.

Looking down at her abdomen where Dean was resting his hand, Payton vowed never to jeopardize her families' future with each other. She leaned back against Dean and fell into the first peaceful night she had spent with him since being reunited.

* * *

Sam stepped out of the shower and reached for a black towel that she wrapped around her body. She wasn't used to getting regular booty from a repeat performance._ It's kind of nice_. Walking up to the foggy vanity mirror, she took a brush and ran it through her soaking wet hair.

The door opened, and Johnny walked up from behind her; wrapping his arms around her. It was sweet, she thought. She smiled back at him in the mirror. Suddenly he hefted her up into a fireman's carry and sent her into a fit of laughter.

* * *

Helena and Brie had breakfast at the manor. It was two weeks before Porter's wedding and they had decided to go out shopping together for dresses.

"At least you're guaranteed some action," Brie said before popping an apple tart into her mouth.

Helena tilted her head at her sister and gave her a 'I can't believe you just said that' look. At the incredulous facial expressions from the redhead, Brie snorted, saying, "Don't give me that look. It's been a while since I've," she paused pondering the right words, "interacted with a man. I want this dry spell to end."

"Still, just because Milo lives two houses away doesn't mean anything is going to happen between us," Helena replied, receiving a pointed look from Brie. "Or," she said with a bashful tone, "that it will continue to happen."

"I knew you were sleeping with him, again," Brie said playfully. "Dun dun dun," she sang out. "And so the plot thickens."

"What plot," Payton asked after orbing in.

"Oh, nothing. Lena's just getting into some well needed trouble."

"Ah," Payton sighed. "I didn't realize it was more than a onetime deal."

"You knew?" Brie turned from her cousin to her sister. "You told her before me?"

"She kind of witnessed his walk of shame."

"It's true. But it didn't look like he was ashamed of anything."

"Must have been a good night," Brie added. "I'm jealous."

The three finished eating before leaving for dress shopping. All Helena could think of was the vision she had had two weeks ago, when she had seen the end to her time with Milo.

* * *

After their romp in the hey, Johnny held Sam close to his heart, resting his chin on her head. Sam was as different from Winona as morning was to night.

"What are you thinking," Sam demanded in a drowsy tone. She moved to position herself in a more comfortable way.

"How I've changed since meeting you."

"Um, how so?" Sam rubbed her hand over his abs in a soothing matter. For her, his answer could be a moment of truth for her. What he said had the power to change the course of her life or condemn her to it. Sam wasn't ashamed of her past. Like her grandfather, she enjoyed the sins of the flesh. Hell, she didn't even really consider it a sin. But people looked at it completely different when it was a woman moving from bed to bed than when it was a man.

Two weeks ago –hell, even one week—she would have balked at the idea of being with one person for forever. Then she thought of Dean, Sr. He had loved his wife Lonnie, Sam's grandmother in a way that was unexpected. Even though she had grown up seeing it, Sam wondered how it was that the womanizer had ended up with sweet, subtle, simple Lonnie. Still, her tactic in handling Dean was genius; she would say nothing, seeming content to agree with Dean, until she had him so insecure about his move that he would do whatever it was Lonnie had first suggested. Of course, when it came to hunting Dean was the go to man. It was at home that Lonnie reigned supreme.

If it was possible for someone like her –like Dean—to find love, then the number of men she had or could sleep with would no longer matter to her.

"I wasn't happy," Johnny answered her as she held baited breath. "I've kind of been the pathetic loner of the family for the past five years."

Tilting her head up to get a glance at her man, she delved deeper into an unfamiliar territory that could either give her a deeper insight to this man, or block her off from him completely. "Why is that?"

"I had a fiancé, and I met her through my cousin Brie—"

"The one you don't like?"

"That'd be the one. Only back then we were tight. We're about the same age, and our dad's are really tight so I'm closer to them than any of the other cousins. Anyway, she introduced me to her roommate, Winona."

"Like the actress?"

"Exactly like," Johnny said playing with her hair. "We were only nineteen but that wouldn't stop us. I was gone the first time I saw her. It was like being bludgeoned in the face," he continued. Sam wasn't exactly liking this part of the discussion and began to feel inferior, which was completely different for her. "Anyway, we were together for six months and I was completely infatuated. I asked her to marry me and she said yes."

"What was she like," Sam questioned, somberly.

Johnny cupped her face in his palms. "Your complete opposite. She liked fruity little drinks and expensive Italian shoes that she mostly got of ebay. Winnie always had manicured hands," he said while taking hers and kissing it. "She was," he hesitated, "shallow and oblivious despite her genius IQ. I wanted her though, exactly the way she was," he said bitterly.

"What changed?"

"Brie dropped the ball. She allowed Winnie to stumble upon our little secret."

"And Winnie reacted badly?"

"No, Winnie loved it. So much so that she wanted to know everything about magic."

"So what went wrong?"

"Winnie decided at a certain point that she knew enough to help Brie and Payton on a vanquish. I wasn't going to allow it but the demon ambushed us at the manor. Winnie rushed in thinking she was going to save the day. There was a potion to scald the flesh that she had and she threw it at the demon. But not before he burned a hole in her heart that I could see through."

"I'm so sorry Johnny." Sam didn't know what else to say. The other woman hadn't given him up out of stupidity or tried to get something out of him. Winnie had stuck by him. It had made his loss all the more tragic, in her opinion.

"Brie loved having a friend she could share her secret with; to teach and conspire with. If she hadn't exposed us, Winnie might still be here."

"And you'd be married."

Johnny looked down at the woman he was holding. "No. I was floored by how incredible Winnie was, at first. But I saw how she acted around others. It wasn't love, or if it was it didn't last. Magic became an obsession and nothing else mattered except what it could get her or the things she could experience. At the end I knew it wouldn't be anything she would have experienced with me. I wouldn't have gone through with it because sooner or later, whether it was magic or an internship, I would have realized that she wanted the newest and best things. When things were tired she threw them away like a used rag. She would have moved on, but at least she would have been alive."

"So your loss caused you unhappiness and now you think that you're the pathetic family member whom everyone feels sorry for?"

"I might have said it in nicer terms, but yeah. They look at me like the sad loser who spends his life serving drinks or being served drinks."

"I don't care if you only bartend," Sam offered, kissing his neck.

"And if I were rich?"

"Oh, I definitely wouldn't care," she said while laughing.

"Good, because I am."

"Am what?"

"Rich."

"Whose rich?"

"I'm rich, Sam." He looked down into her confused eyes and saw the questions in them.

"But you're a bartender."

"Only at nights. I have to do something other than sleep during the days."

"Like what?"

"I write graphic novels. They're pretty popular, you may have heard of them. They're the Troubled Sagas."

Sam gasped out loud. "Oh, my God. I've read those," she said. "And I don't read, like ever! Every body's read those and its practically a comic book; I don't care if you're ninety. Why doesn't your family think about that when they mention doing something other than bar tending?"

"Because they don't know. Only my aunt Trish does; she introduced me to her publishing company and they liked what they saw."

"You know," Sam said coyly, "so do I." She began delivering kisses on his neck, then further down to his chest.

"Oh, do you?"

* * *

The Halliwell "Elders" were meeting for dinner at Wyatt's home. After years of dealing with the heavenly beings who really didn't offer as much help as would be expected, the eldest living generation of Halliwells had started to be called the elders by their children as they seemed to have more wisdom and know how than those who Leo had originally described to Piper as the Founders.

All in all, that made for nine Halliwells at a table, and then there were the spouses and their guests; Samuel and Dean Winchester. Dean spared a look at Penny, who was not only alone but didn't wear a wedding ring. Back when they had shared a common life, Penny had worn his mother's ring with pride and satisfaction. Dean knew from the research that she had never married, and that she was the mother of triplets; all fraternal.

It killed him to know that there was a man lucky enough to have had her, yet hadn't stayed around long enough to watch their children grow up. He felt horrible as he acknowledged this. Dean, Sr. had loved his wife, but she wasn't the love of his life and that killed him. If he had known it hadn't she?

They were all together to enjoy a meal as well as talk over strategy. Dean had to hand it to them; they knew what they were doing, even more so than he probably did. Still, he felt a need to help protect Penny's family, as she had once upon saved his.

* * *

The women were all in the kitchen. The men had moved into the den to watch a football game after they were sure they were on the same page about how to deal with the Phoenix. Plans were being made for everything; plans to locate the clan, to interrogate lower level demons which needed to be coordinated between the family members so that no one went alone. Margret and Gabby were cornered off talking about God knew what, and Penny walked directly to her sister Prue and Cousin Melinda.

"I have to tell you something," she said immediately getting their attention.

"What is it?" Prue looked at her youngest sister, wondering what had shaken her.

"It's him."

"Him who," Mel asked unsure of the meaning.

"Their father," she whispered loudly.

"Wait, what?" Prue ran a hand through her shoulder length hair. "You mean one of the Winchesters? But they're almost thirty years your senior."

"Well, when you time travel the age difference becomes confusing!" Penny placed her hands on the table to keep her balance and slowly looked around the room to see cousins and in-laws looking at her suspiciously. "Sorry for the disturbance, folks. Just go on ahead with your conversations now," she said tongue in cheek before turning back to the only people who really knew her situation.

"What do I do now?"

Mel and Prue turned to look at one another; each unsure of what to do or say.


	12. ch12

A/N: It's been a long time and I'm sorry. It will probably be awhile before I write again. I just want to let you know that I previously referred to Ruby. I meant Jess. There is another Blessed Be story about an alternate universe where Jessica comes back to be with Sam. So forget about me mentioning Ruby.

* * *

Helena hadn't been taking Milo's calls and her ability to sense had helped her narrowly avoid him on the occasions when he came to see her. Ever since her vision the month before, she had decided to stay away from him. As it was, she wasn't the only Halliwell who was having issues with the Winchesters.

Payton was starting to show and she already showed signs of tapping into her child's powers. She and Dean seemed to be getting on track. It had been awkward for a few weeks but now that she knew that Dean wasn't married Payton was finally allowing herself to obtain happiness despite her fear that he would somehow hurt her.

As for Johnny, he and Sam were going strong. That might have had something to do with the fact that neither had told their families what was going on. Sam's father was pleased to see that his little girl was finally settling down and acting mature. Despite Dean, jr.'s knowledge that his little girl could take care of herself, he didn't like the idea of her hopping from bed to bed. He was afraid he'd get a call someday that she had wound up in a ditch. Johnny started attending more family functions and hanging out with the guys again. He was even being friendly to Brie.

The Winchesters and the Halliwells were becoming closer and Wyatt had found a friend in Dean, jr. Of course much of that had to do with Wyatt wanting to create a peaceful environment for his daughter and grandchild. Sammy was learning potion making from Tricia, Phoebe's middle daughter, who besides writing successful children's books also owned and managed an herbology shop not far from the family bar and restaurant. His wife, Jessica, had become close with the older generation of Halliwell women—Gabby, Maggie, Prue, Mel and Penny.

Both sides had different and limited information on the goings on between Penny and Dean. Mel and Prue knew that Penny had been sent to the past by the cupids in order to discover what was blocking her off from allowing herself to love and be happy. In doing so, Penny had discovered an alternate life she had lived when she ran into Dean Winchester. Penny didn't know why or how she knew him. She had known that she didn't have long and she had made the most of it. When she returned to the future she realized that she was pregnant. Everyone had been shocked to discover she was having triplets.

Sammy, Jessica, and Dean never realized that they had encountered this timeline's Penny before. Jess and Sammy were concerned about Dean. He was withdrawn and out of it, and he only paid attention when Penny was there. They knew she had no memories of her time with them or the daughter she had had. Penny also didn't know about Gracie's death. Dean was going to keep it that way. He saw no reason to burden her with that news.

Penny, however, was arguing over her course of action. Would she tell Dean that despite only knowing him for about five minutes before they had made love that she had given birth to his children? For years she had wondered why she had been sent back to him if it was only for a few fleeting moments. She knew, of course, that it was because she was meant to have those three precious miracles.

* * *

"I'm so excited," Payton said. She was just about four months pregnant now and could find out the sex of the baby. "What do you want," she asked Dean.

"A healthy baby."

"Oh, come on. You have to have a preference."

He turned to look at the woman next to him. "Do you have a preference?"

"A little boy who looks like his father would be really nice."

"A little girl who looks like her mother would be just as nice," he replied leaning in for a kiss. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"Ms. Halliwell?" A nurse stood in the doorway with Payton's folder. "You can follow me."

* * *

Johnny filled a glass from the tap and handed the final beer to his cousin Victor. The guys – Johnny, Andrew and Victor—had decided to have a guys night, which always began at P3.

"Can I just say how nice it is not to be around the girls," Vick said. "I mean, Hell and Brie are getting along better now, but I think I liked it better when they were fighting and not acting like teenage girls. All they talk about is shopping and Milo and shopping."

"At least your sisters aren't pregnant. I'm too young to be an uncle," Drew said.

"The kid will make a good baby magnet, though," Johnny pointed out and took a gulp of his drink. "Girls melt for babies."

Drew perked up at this. Lifting his glass he tapped his brother's and cousin's glasses. "Here's to the newest Halliwell," he said with a grin before taking a sip.

* * *

Helena walked into her bedroom and started taking her clothes off. Throwing them onto her bed, she walked to her closet in search of shorts and fuzzy slippers to wear. Turning, she didn't expect to see Milo standing by the door to her private bathroom.

"Guess you didn't see me there, huh?"

"What are you doing here, Milo?" She took her robe and put it on over her bra and panties.

"Since when are you shy," he rebutted.

"Answer the question."

He took a couple of steps until he was up close and personal, all up in her private bubble. Leaning in, Milo turned his head down as if to kiss her neck. Stopping center meters from her skin, he tilted his head so his lips were by her ears. "You've been avoiding me," he said and then kissed her neck.

Her head tilted backwards. "I would've avoided you tonight, too. How come I didn't sense you?" She barely kept a moan in as his tongue made contact with her skin.

"Amulet."

"Hm. You need to go," she whispered. He grabbed her shoulders and brought her closer to him.

"You're not getting rid of me," he said in between kisses. That was his mistake.

She put her hand to his chest and the other to her lips. "Leave. Now." Helena took several steps back to make it clear to him he wasn't wanted here.

"I don't know how to get through to you. I'm not going anywhere," Milo reiterated.

"I know that you believe that," Helena responded. "But you forget that I can see the future. And nothing has happened to change it. You can't be in my life. I don't _want_ you in my life. Now go."

Milo looked as if he had been slapped in the face. "Why are you so afraid?"

"Why aren't you," she snapped. "We've already destroyed each other once. Why come back for seconds?"

* * *

Brianna was sitting in the conference room of her father's company. Chris had asked her to attend a proposal by one of his up and coming architects so he could get her impression of his work. Chris was looking for a new junior partner and several of his partners had recommended him. Though Brie was only twenty three years old she would be graduating at the end of the summer semester. Even though she hadn't appreciated her magic since Winona had passed away, she had to admit that orbing made life a lot easier.

Brie was sharp, strong, and brilliant just like her cousin Prue and had also been compared to her late aunt Prue. Brie had managed to graduate a year early from high school and had completed undergrad in three years because of AP credits and staying over a summer session. If there was something she wanted she went after it. Her father knew it and so did everyone else at his firm. Chris had even employed her on projects over the past three years. While he knew that she was young and some would object if they knew she was working without a degree—which is why she worked as a "consultant"—Brie had soaked up everything about structures since Chris had helped her build her first self-designed Barbie dream house.

The presentation ended and people filtered out, leaving Chris and Brie alone in the conference room.

"What are your thoughts?"

"Very good showmanship. Too bad there are several flaws in his design. Easily remedied but somebody at his level shouldn't be making those kinds of mistakes."

"I agree. What about the actual designs?"

"Pleasing. Plain," Brie said crossing her legs. She was wearing a black knee length pencil skirt and belt along with a sheer black top with silk, wing like sleeves over a black camisole. Her shoes were a good three inches tall. "Unimaginative and little thought invested into it. He didn't listen to anything the client asked for."

Chris stared at his middle daughter. He knew it was wrong to have favorites, and really he didn't. But occasionally one of his children would just fill his heart so deep that in that moment he couldn't imagine loving anyone else more. Truthfully, he had suspected that the young architect everyone was raving about wasn't as good as he made himself out to be.

In fact, some thought that Richard Giorgis was exploiting one of the team members assigned to his unit; a young woman who was shy and reserved by the name of Violet. Richard had a history of proposing a less original design, followed by a brilliant, innovative design that came to him all of a sudden. His attitude also was not one that Chris would ever admire. He did admire his daughter's ability to quickly and accurately size up a situation.

"What would you have done?"

"The client wants an idealistic and childish exterior to remind people that the seriousness of the world is built upon the stress we place on ourselves and not the actual demands of biology. She wants to remind people that we can think and share and do as we please; that happiness is just a daydream away. I would have created a building that matches the creativity and honesty of the store. Dreamland should look like a dream. I would have designed a three story building to look like a frosted, sprinkled cupcake with stained glass windows and a spiral staircase in the middle. The owner is an eccentric lady who likes wonder and strangeness and individualism. When a customer walks in it should be like they just walked into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, not some cold industrial warehouse."

"I agree."

"So who's going to design it?"

"You are," Chris said as Brie's face turned from astonished to ecstatic.

* * *

Paxton was walking home from work. Though she was only fifteen years old, she had decided to take a job at a comic book store for extra cash. Plus she could read all the editions for free. It had given her an outlet for her art and she knew that she needed it more than ever.

Her mom had been acting weird ever since the Winchesters had come to town to take out a common threat. Little did her mom know but Paxton had already known her mother's secret. Dean, Sr. was her father. Dean, Jr. or DJ was her brother, though he was technically only a half brother and by the mortal half at that. Still, she hadn't told Prince or Preston that their father was right in front of their face. Finding out that your father whom you had never even met before was a hunter –as well as a seventy year old man—was just plain weird. DJ, her eldest brother, was over thirty years older than them.

While she walked and hummed, Paxton thought about how this was just some other extraordinarily weird thing that had to happen to the Halliwells. Sure, her power of premonition had shown her an extremely awkward encounter between Dean and Penny, but there was more to the story than that. Paxton's powers of premonition and retrocognition had not only shown her what had occurred between her parents but had also clued her into the fight the family would soon find themselves in. The phoenixes weren't all they had to worry about.

* * *

"Dean," Penny said as she walked up to the older man who was looking at the lunch menu. He had been surprised to get a phone call from her and he was sure that she had no idea of what happened between them all those years ago. After the birth of their daughter she had just faded. Dean knew it was silly, but he was afraid that she would fade again.

"Ms. Halliwell," he said, "I was surprised to hear from you again. What's going on?"

"I know that our families have been cooperating but that it must have been difficult for your family to except the reality of my family being one of good witches."

"It wasn't as hard for us to except as you must think," Dean said looking into her eyes. "I married one once, before I married DJ's mom."

"Oh," Penny said not sure of what to think. "What was she like?"

"She was beautiful and smart and independent. She cared about everyone, and died after the birth of our daughter."

"What was her name?" Penny desperately wanted to know of the other woman who had possessed this man's heart. A part of her felt jealousy that he had been able to love others while she had spent her entire adult life loving him.

"Penny. Her name was Penny," Dean said knowing that there wasn't going to be any secrets between them any longer.

* * *

Drew walked into his uncle's architect firm as he was hoping to steal Brie away for a few hours. He had always felt a kinship to her, despite his brother's increasing coolness to her. Once upon a time they had all been friends. When Helena had left, Brie had felt abandoned by the one person who was supposed to always be there. Friendship with Winona had given Brie something to look forward to, but Drew knew that Winona's death had only cemented the idea that magic took away any happiness that Brie had managed to find.

Johnny's treatment of Brie was unacceptable, and Drew was glad to see Johnny trying to mend the drifts between him and the rest of the family. Still, Drew hadn't seen his favorite cousin in weeks and he wanted to make sure she was doing well since Hell's arrival a month ago.

As he walked into the office he bumped into a small, petite woman with long, glossy black hair, bright green eyes and freckles sprinkled over her nose and cheeks. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and her small, trim figure was now pressed into his chest.

"I am so sorry," she said. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy keen," Drew said as his lips spread into a grin. "I'm Drew."

"Violet," the girl said as she looked down and blushed. "It's nice to meet you," she said offering him her hand.

He kissed it, "the pleasure was mine."

* * *

Brie and Drew sat eating their steak and talking about what was going on with each other. Drew wasn't surprised to find out that Uncle Chris was offering his daughter a spot at the firm. What came next, however, did surprise him.

"Um, Violet is going to make an awesome assistant manager for the project," Brie said scarfing down steak.

"Violet," Drew said looking for any opportunity to talk about the shy young woman he had encountered.

"Um hmm. She's really a brilliant girl, but she lets people walk all over her. I think I can really help her take control and become a big part of the company." Brie looked up from her plate to see the goofy look on her cousin's face. "Oh, no. I know that look," she said. "Leave the poor girl alone."

"I didn't even say anything," Drew retorted.

* * *

"Congratulations, it's a little boy," the doctor told Payton and Dean.

Payton squealed with excitement. "Dean Winchester the fourth," Payton exclaimed. The doctor left the room and Payton began to zip her pants back up.

"So it's going to be Winchester, huh?" For the past few weeks the two had been going back and forth debating whether they should get married or not. So far Payton had managed to hold off.

"If you'll still have me," she said before he kissed her.

* * *

"Triplets," Dean,Sr. said. "I can't believe it. I mean, I remember the day and you had acted weird but I just thought it was you."

"Another daughter," Penny said. "I guess we both missed out on a lot of the important stuff."

"Time just had it out for us," he offered. "I guess we both got some kind of constellation prize. Gracie was worth everything to me."

"How did it happen?"

"It was a demon attack. She had been fighting for a few years at the time. Me and Lonnie weren't afraid because of her powers. We thought she could handle anything that came her way. The demon was too powerful. Me and Sam had been doing the research portion of the job, but we got it wrong. We had learned how to make potions and write spells, but we didn't identify the right demon. The potion had no effect, but the demon played dead and when we weren't looking it killed her. We managed to track the bastard down and kill it, but she was gone before she touched the ground."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Penny cried. "I should have been there."

"I should have been here," Dean said. "Lonnie was amazing and she gave me an amazing family, but I should have been here with you, and with Pax, Prince and Preston."

"Why did it have to happen this way?'

"I don't know."


	13. ch 13

Preston dropped his football gear by the front door and moved further into his house. He knew that smell anywhere, he thought as the aroma of a sweet, tangy tomato sauce hit his nostrils. "Prince man, you home?"

"In here," he called out from the kitchen.

Prince was the oldest of the three triplets by two minutes before Pax was born and another three minutes before Preston was finally born. Each had their own unique personality and talents and for Prince it was cooking. He had inherited his great aunt's ability to create mouth watering dishes and tonight he was making his very famous veal dish with a homemade tomato sauce.

As the oldest, Prince assumed the role of nurturer and caregiver when their mother wasn't home. Paxton was good about looking after herself and Prince knew she would survive off of the cream cheese and jelly sandwiches she loved so much, but Prince wanted to make sure his siblings weren't nutritionally deprived.

Preston leaned over the pot and took in the sweet, marvelous smell that had assaulted him the moment he walked through the door. At fifteen years old he was tall, muscular and a heart throb, but then again no one in the Halliwell family would ever be accused of being less than beautiful.

"When's it going to be ready?"

"Another ten minutes. Get Pax down here," he told his brother.

Heading to the base of the stairs, Preston yelled to their sister. "Come set the table, dinner's almost ready."

"Nice," Prince said sarcastically. "I'm in awe of your genteel methods."

"Whatevs," Preston replied. "Has she been acting weird these past couple of weeks?"

"You mean more than usual? Maybe a little bit, why?"

"I don't know. She's just seemed off. It's probably nothing."

Steps could be heard coming from the stairwell as Paxton entered the room in her usual fashion; running. She was wearing a black band t-shirt and boyfriend jeans with bright blue converse. Despite the lack of a fashionista style, Pax was a bouncy, happy person despite what her appearance might say.

Bouncing up to the kitchen cabinets, she opened the cupboard and took out plates to set the table. "Um, that smells delicious."

"Thanks, it should only be a few minutes now." Prince stared at his sister trying to get some kind of read off of her. She turned and caught his eyes on her.

"What?"

"You're hiding something," Prince said.

"You're paranoid," Pax responded and started to make her way around the table. "Where's mom," she asked in a last ditch effort to get her brothers' attention off of her.

"Meeting with old man Winchester," Prince answered. When Pax's shoulders tensed he knew that whatever was bothering her had something to do with the Winchesters or why they had shown up in their lives. Preston must have noticed it too.

"Is that what this is about?" Preston walked up to his sister. "Are you afraid of the attack the underworld is planning? Because you know we've dealt with the phoenixes almost a month ago so you don't have to worry."

The previous month had seen the Halliwells return to epic magical battles. The phoenixes, an elite clan of assassin witches, had been contracted to take out the Halliwells. Jazz, the daughter of their Uncle Chris's ex girlfriend, had been hired to infiltrate the family and take them out. Chris had been the one to confront Bianca and Jazz, not only as a courteous representative of the family but as Jazz's possible father.

When Chris had heard who Jazz's mother was and calculated how old she was and when she would have had to have been conceived it was possible that he had done like his Grandmother Patty before him and had an additional charmed child. This wasn't the case. His and Bianca's relationship, though passionate and loving, had always been tumultuous. She had met someone only weeks after they had broken up and had passed away about four years ago. She had left her cousin, Jeannette, in charge of the clan's operations. Jeannette hadn't known that her godchild –the one she had tried desperately to keep away from the family business—had agreed to take the job. As the head of the family business Jeannette had forbidden any phoenixes from attacking the Halliwells.

After their relationship had ended Bianca had moved the phoenixes toward a new philosophy. While they were all trained the same way as they had always been, Bianca realized that it wasn't their right or responsibility to take vengeance on the descendants of the ones who put her ancestors to death during the witch trial. Phoenixes solely went after demons and warlocks now, and Jeannette wanted to lead the clan the way Bianca had while she was alive. Jeannette had been furious to find out her goddaughter had been put up to this task and had found the other phoenix who had talked Jazz into doing it.

From there the Halliwells had interrogated the phoenix, named Edan, and discovered that the plot to take them out was all over the underworld. The entire family had broken into units of fighters, potion makers, researchers, etc. Those eighteen and under were either assigned potion duty or book duty. Since the underworld had only just begun to come back from the Charmed one's vigil, Wyatt, Chris, Mel, Prue, Penny, Trish, Pandora, Priscilla and Henry had managed to almost entirely –as well as effortlessly—take out most demons.

The Winchesters were sticking around because of Payton, Hell, and Johnny. The younger Halliwell males also really liked having them around to tell tales about their hunting days and the girls loved hearing the tragic love story of their parents and Sam's and Dean's failed romances along the way. It seemed like the Winchesters would be making San Francisco their permanent home, as Dean and Payton had announced their upcoming nuptials. Everything seemed to be going great, though the family was still investigating.

"The phoenixes aren't who I'm worried about," Pax said.

Prince turned the stove off and moved to see his sister clearly. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw something."

* * *

"I saw something," Helena said to Brie and Payton. In the past weeks the three had become inseparable, just like when they were teenagers.

"What was it?"

"Milo." Helena looked back and forth from her sister and her cousin waiting to see a reaction. They just looked at her. "He's gonna get in some trouble, and I need to find a way to keep him away from us."

"Good luck with that," Payton said rubbing her slight baby bump. "I don't think I've ever seen a man look like that for a woman before."

"Those are just hormones," Hell replied.

"That's called love, sweetie," Brie responded in a tone that let her sister know that she didn't believe how obtuse she was making herself out to be. "He wants you back."

"Well I don't want him," she said only to be met with Brie and Payton breaking out in hysterical laughter.

"Oh, honey," Brie laughed, "if you're going to lie at least do it well."

"Now, what did you see," Payton asked.

* * *

"I saw mom and," Pax stopped as if for dramatic effect, "dad."

Prince and Preston looked at each other. Ever since they were little they had wondered about their father. Did he look like them, like the same sports, do the same things? Though they had awesome uncles and cousins who always included them in everything, the boys had always felt like they were missing something.

"Who is he?" Preston spoke first this time. He needed to know who he was, what he was like. Their mom had always told them that their father had no idea about them but as a little kid he had wondered. Was she just protecting him? Did he know and just not care? Would he want them now if he found out about them?

"It's Dean Winchester," Pax said, waiting for some kind of reaction.

"DJ," Prince asked. That would be…gross, he thought. He was Dean's father and that would make Dean their brother, but he was marrying their cousin. "Oh, God, that's disturbing," he said. Preston must have felt the same because he had a look of pure terror on his face.

"No, not DJ. Dean, Sr."

Both boys looked at her as if she were crazy.

* * *

"So, what happened after Gracie passed away?"

"Everyone was kind of broken. She was only sixteen, DJ was thirteen and the entire family was devastated. Cas helped us, and me and Sammy finally joined the fight. We killed the stupid son of a bitch, but there was no way to get her back. Jess, Sam's wife, was her whitelighter. After losing her charge she decided to become mortal. She and Sam realized how badly they wanted a family and they had Deanna and John; twins right off the bat."

"And the other kids, they don't know," Penny asked.

"No. They all think that Lonnie was Gracie's mom." Dean paused to look at her. "She was a good woman," he said. "Lonnie loved Gracie more than life."

Tears ran down Penny's face. "I know, it's just that I never thought I would miss out on any moment in any of my children's lives and now I've missed out on an entire lifetime." She used the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. "What was she like?"

"She was like you; tough but caring. Overprotective of the whole family, especially her little brother. No one could get in her way when she wanted something. We had her in self-defense classes, taught her everything we knew about weapons, and Castiel taught her about her powers. He was sweet on her. Not in a creepy way," he said noticing the look on Penny's face. "More like a big brother who wanted nothing but the best for her. More than one boy who hung around her went missing for a few days. We never got Cas to admit to anything, though."

"Only for a few days," Penny asked laughing. This Castiel guy sounded like her Great Grams.

"They always showed up, telling stories of a monstrous voice and a beast with wings," he said and both he and Penny broke into laughter.

"Is she buried here in California? I might like to go visit," Penny added.

"We have a headstone for her, but we never found her body after the fight."

"What do you mean," Penny said frantically. "How do you even know that she's dead?"

For a minute there was hope that her long lost daughter might be alive and out there somewhere, which was odd to think about because her daughter would be older than her now.

"There was a blinding light that she disappeared in. Me and Sammy thought she might be out there somewhere, but Cas…he was the one who told us for sure. If there was anyone with the ability to move heaven and earth to find her it was Cas. She's gone, Penny."

* * *

Penny arrived home a couple of hours later, when she was sure her children wouldn't be able to tell she was crying. She didn't know how or if she was going to tell them about her past. She wanted Dean to know his children, and as she thought about what would happen if she ever lost them like he had Gracie, more tears came to her eyes.

She threw her keys onto the counter, and saw the dirty dishes in the sink that Preston was responsible for taking care of. Penny just didn't have the heart to discipline her son right now. Not when her heart was aching.

Destiny had brought her and Dean together. Then it had torn them apart. It had given him a child, and then it had played the same old trick on them all over again by sending her to the past; to him. And while she loved her children, Penny couldn't help but wonder what she had done to deserve this. A love across the tides of time had not been her dream. There had been relationships since then, sure, but no one had ever measured up to the man she had only known for an hour.

When the cupids had sent her to the past to undo her blockage she had thought it would mean being able to move on and find a man to share her life with. The blockage had been undone, but it was her children who had really taught her how to love again. Now Dean was back in her life and despite the age difference she still loved him.

Penny rolled up her sleeves and did the dishes. It had been a long time since she had had to do this. Her dish washer still needed to be replaced, and as a chef at the Manor House there were busboys that looked after that.

After she had completed the dishes she took out the key lime pie she had hidden away from her children –okay, she had used a spell to hide it—who could smell anything delectable within a mile radius. While she had always worked out and had amazing self control, pie was the one thing she could never turn down.

She was just about to take a bite when she heard whispers coming from the stairwell. "Uh," she thought getting ready to have to share her pie, "come on out."

Her three children lined up before her in age order; Princeton, Paxton, and Preston.

"Mom," Prince said in his 'eldest son' voice. "We have something to tell you," he continued, just as Preston pushed Pax front and center.

She turned to look at him before saying, "traitor."

"What's this about, you guys?"

"Mom," Pax said, "we know about our dad."

Penny dropped her fork with a generous amount of key lime pie still on it.

* * *

Drew opened the passenger side door and helped Violet out of her seat. "They're supposed to have _the _best Italian food."

"It sounds great," Violet responded meekly. "I've been trying to get a reservation here since forever. How did you get one at the last minute?"

"It's my families place," Drew said as they walked into the Manor House. "A couple of my Aunts work here and most of the cousins bus tables at some point during high school for extra cash."Drew escorted Violet to their table. Up ahead, Violet saw a man she hadn't seen in nearly forty years.

Dean, Sr. was sitting at the bar while the new man his granddaughter was seeing was pouring the drinks. A shiver went up his spine, and he turned his head sideways, as if something in the corner of his eye had caught his stare. After a minute he just turned back to the bartender and asked for another.

Violet made sure she sat with her back to him.


	14. ch 14

A/N: Short and sweet. I keep telling myself to just finish it up and then I get an idea that makes me have to go on. I can't believe I do this to myself...uhh...please review. I'd like to know what you all think.

Chapter 14

Drew walked through the threshold of his apartment and threw his keys on the small table in the foyer. At twenty four years old he was in his second year of grad school in an MSW, masters of social work, program that would allow him to work with the under privileged kids he had become so fond of during his work at the youth center.

At sixteen Drew had been in a rebellious phase, one that had landed him with one hundred hours of community service. All of a sudden the kid who was always in the principal's office for one prank or the other was spending all of his time hanging out with the kids at the group. It was then he realized he wanted to help these kids.

His great aunt Paige had suggested social work, and while Drew was in the graduate program he was using it as a means to get into a doctoral program of psychology. The MSW would do that, and open his career to a wider variety of choices.

He sat down on his couch and threw his legs up on the coffee table. Tonight had been his twelfth date with Violet in only nine days. Drew turned on the football game. As he sat there watching he couldn't help but think of the girl who had him captivated.

* * *

Violet walked down a dank, stagnant alley. Her eyes roamed from side to side as she remained hyper vigilant and observant of her surroundings. No one could ever be too careful when meeting a creature of God. Even when you were one. You could never truly know who was legit and who was out for themselves. Luckily for her, the man in front of her didn't know how to play games.

Standing straight, feeling the energy pulsating in her finger tips, Violet looked at the face of a man she hadn't seen in decades.

"Hello, Castiel."

He walked towards her slowly. "Hello, Anna."

* * *

Helena sat on the floor, focused on her breathing. Candles were lit and odd looking objects were in arms reach. Her premonition of Milo's impending doom had been haunting her for months. Her travels around the world had taught her different strategies for looking into the future, and Hell would be damned if she didn't do everything to save the man who had fathered her child…she had lost a baby before; she wouldn't lose another one now and she sure as hell wasn't about to do it on her own. He had to live.

* * *

Dean, Sr. had called a family meeting. His brother, nephews and nieces were all there as well as his son and grandchildren. John, Deanna, and both of their families had been summoned to California. Deanna was Milo's mother, and the wife of another hunter who had since retired to look after her since her heart attack. John was a mechanic with three children; two girls and a boy. They were trained to hunt but had never led that life. John and his wife had made the decision to keep them informed, but neither wanted that life for their kids.

Dean, Sr. had wanted everyone there to hear his news. There was no sense in having to repeat it all again later.

"This is going to surprise everyone, 'cept for Sammy and Jess." Dean began to pace back and forth. "It has to do with my children," he said sparing a look towards DJ. "About Gracie."

DJ moved forward in his chair. He had always been hopeful that one day they would find his sister. He had never given up hope that she was alive despite what Castiel said. "Is she alive," he asked.

"No, son. It has to do with her mother and my past."

"What about mom," DJ asked. "What don't I know?"

Dean, Sr. looked around the room at all of the eyes staring at him. He exhaled. "Lonnie wasn't her mother."

* * *

"Where's the girl," Castiel said holding the weapon to Anna's neck.

"Hidden," Anna said through strained teeth. "Somewhere away from you." She yelped as Castiel pushed her harder against the brick wall.

"Who has her? Why was she taken?"

"You really don't know," Anna mocked Cas. He slammed her head against the brick.

"Tell me, or I will kill you right here."

"For someone who helped end the apocalypse you really are quite dumb. You spend how many decades looking for a girl, and you never even asked yourself the most important question."

"What's that," he demanded through gritted teeth.

"Who has the power to keep you from her?"

* * *

Brie, Payton, and Helena were all sitting together in the manor. Since Payton had found out the sex of the baby she had been living with Dean and Brie had been spending a lot of time at the firm working on the candy store project. None of them had really been able to get together and today had just fallen into place.

Sitting at the kitchen table, eating ice cream, and talking about their lives, Helena finally talked about what she had seen and what had motivated her to finally do something about it.

"You're sure," Brie asked her sister. The slow steady nod she received broke her heart.

"How? How is it going to happen?"

Hell let go of her breath. "It's night, and we're running down an alley after someone. A woman. Our age, long brown hair. She disappeared around a corner and when we get there something tossed me like a rag doll and shanked Milo with some weird looking sword."

Payton rested her hand over Lena's. "Were you able to ID it in the book of shadows?"

"That's the weird thing. When I was looking in the book it started turning the pages by itself."

"Grams?"

"Not her hand writing on the page," Lena responded.

"Wait," Brie interjected. "It wrote something to you?"

"The shadows cast by Hell's fire can only be cast aside by the light of heaven's love. Find the love to fight the shadows, the power of three shall set her free."

"Who do you think wrote it?"

"Never mind that," Payton said. "Who the hell are we supposed to set free?"

* * *

"You mean aunt Grace was part witch," Sam asked. "How the hell did we not know any of this?"

"Grandpa wasn't exactly forthcoming," Dean replied to his little sister. "What I want to know is why did you raise us to think witches were all evil if you knew that wasn't true?"

Sammy stood next to his big brother. "We had enough issues with hunters knowing about me and wanting to hunt me because of the demon blood. We didn't want to give anyone a reason to go after us because of our history with the Halliwells. At first it was to protect Grace, then all of you."

"Wow," DJ said. "What's next," he asked angrily. "Long lost grandparents on the way?"

"Funny you should mention that," Dean was cut off by a slap to his back from his kid brother. The entire family glared at Dean.

"What does that mean," DJ asked through clenched teeth.


	15. ch 15

A/N: Sorry this is so short but it ended exactly where I wanted it to. Please REVIEW. I really like this series but if I'm going to complete this fanfic and invest more time in the series I need to know that people are actually reading and enjoying it. You could write a flame at this point and it would be appreciated but I need feedback.

* * *

"What!" DJ started pacing back and forth across the room while biting his fist from saying something he might regret. Tersely, he managed to say what needed to be said even if it came out strained. "What do you mean, I have three half siblings?"

"It seems that magic has been more active in our lives than we thought," Dean,Sr. said to his son. "Grace's mother, Penny, was living in an alternate time line after we stopped Sammy from turning into the morning star. Apparently she was sent back in time to me, but you see, it was during the time I was married to Penny and I never realized it was a different version of her. After that little…excursion, she went back to the future and realized she was pregnant."

"So you're saying that I, who am in my mid forties, have three half siblings who are only fifteen years old?"

"Uh, yeah actually."

* * *

Payton, Helena, and Brie sat at the dining room table while their fathers reacted in frustration and rage to the news they had just given them. It was bad enough that they had already had to face the fact that some force in the underworld wanted them dead, which was made evident by the darklighter attack on them at the bridal shower, but now they had to figure out another prophecy and hope there were no losses because of it. What were they getting themselves into?

* * *

The family met at the manor house just as they had months before. They were talking about what in heaven's name the prophecy meant.

"The power of three," Perry said with a sneer. "One question, which set? Because if you hadn't noticed, there are a whole lot of siblings who can boast that they have the power of three."

"Well, at least we know that you and your brothers are out of the running. You know, considering the fact that you haven't stopped bickering long enough to actually be able to access it," Priti said to her cousin.

Priti and Parker always fought from the time they were little. They were too much alike. Priti was a smart ass and Parker was a know-it-all; both were overly cocky though neither had done much in their short lives to be worthy of their attitudes.

"It doesn't matter right now," Chris said hoping to get his cousins once removed from fighting. "We need to figure out what they mean by the light of heaven's love. Now, the prophecy refers to this light as a she so we should be looking for a female."

"Okay," Pan –one of Paige's twins—said intervening. "We're looking for something female, but are we assuming that it's an actual girl, or something supernatural?"

"The prophecy says, 'The shadows cast by Hell's fire can only be cast aside by the light of heaven's love; Find the love to fight the shadows, the power of three shall set her free.' I think we should assume that it's a person," Wyatt said.

"How do we find her," Priscilla—Pan's twin—asked.

"Maybe we can come up with a spell that will show us exactly what to do next," Prue said stepping forward. "If we word it right I might be able to get the spell to show us exactly what we're looking for, like a vision."

Just as Prue was making her suggestion, the Winchesters orbed in with Johnny, Helena, and Payton. They took their seats at the tables and the younger Halliwells started bringing out everybody's plates. Right as everybody was starting the conversation up, a man appeared battered and bruised; dropping an unconscious redhead on the floor.

Drew immediately recognized her and ran to see if she was still alive. Pulling his arm back to throw a blast of electricity at the man, a force field appeared between the two. Drew turned to look at Penny, whose arm was held out towards them. "What are you doing," he yelled.

"Castiel," Dean,Sr. said. "What are you doing here? We haven't seen you in ages."

"You know him," Drew was becoming enraged. "He's hurt an innocent, and you wanna sit back and talk about the old days with the demon?"

"He's no demon, son. Just the opposite in fact, he's an angel," Dean, Sr. replied.

Penny dropped her hand as Drew lowered his. "Castiel," she murmured as echoes replayed in her head. "And who is she," she asked pointing her head to the redhead.

"Violet—"Drew was cut off by Castiel's, "Anna."

"Anna," Sammy said with his usual perplexed expression. "The angel that Dean—"

"Okay," Dean's voice boomed as he avoided a sharp look from Penny and every other member of his family. "I think the better question is why are you here?"

"She has useful information," Cas said in his usual short fashion. "I've recently learned of a force that alone has the power to stop an uprising of evil that will extinguish the earthly forces of good meant to protect humans. Anna knows where they are; she put her there."

"What do you mean, extinguish the _earthly_ forces of good? You mean witches," Wyatt asked.

Cas turned his attention to the being in front of him. "You, more specifically, and your entire family. You do more good in one life time than every single hunter put together. With your family slaughtered evil would begin to grow in numbers."

"And this person is the only one who can stop that?"

"Yes. She's prophesized to cast the demons back to hell."

"Wait," Chris said stepping in. "Prophecisized? Are you talking about the light of Heaven's love?"

"The light is the power she bears, but she herself is heaven's love, yes."

The Halliwells looked back and forth between eachother. "Do you know who this girl is," Chris asked.

Cas nodded and looked back at Dean,Sr. and Penny. "It's Grace."


End file.
